At Our Bodies Our Blog: Kennedy, Pregnancy Loss & Infertility, and Gardasil

Yesterday at Our Bodies Our Blog, Christine wrote about the passing of Sen. Edward Kennedy, and OBOS Executive Director Judy Norsigian shared her thoughts on the man (both with an emphasis on healthcare).

Christine also alerted us to nine stories on infertility and pregnancy loss from readers of Mrs. Spock now published at Our Bodies Ourselves.

Finally, I wrote about the marketing of Gardasil, using information from a piece in a recent issue of JAMA. I have to say, as much as I thought mandates (with generous opt-out provisions) were okay for this one b/c it would get the vaccine paid for for the underserved women who needed it, I’m more that a little perturbed about Merck’s apparent tactic of enlisting (through financing) professional medical organizations to speak positively about the vaccine. Providers often depend on their professional organizations, “experts,” and colleagues to inform and guide their practice (whether that’s appropriate or not), and this is a sneaky way to make it seem like a trusted colleague recommends something when that colleague’s speech has really been crafted by the drug company to put the vaccine in a positive light. It’s one thing to know an advertisement on television is intended to promote and sell; it’s another to wonder if the medical experts you’re conversing with or listening to are fairly reflecting the evidence or simply highlighting drug company talking points.

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