Mr. Bush, How much is that child worth?

[MichaelHarris]

Mr. Bush, How much is that child worth?
by Michael Harris

Mr. Bush in his speech tonight made it apparent that he doesn’t support the American worker or their families. He spoke of ownership while the average family income has dropped. Ownership Mr. Bush? What will they own when they can barely afford food and clothing? What business can a family start while trying to pay for healthcare or college tuition? New home ownership Mr. Bush, how many of those “new homes” were bought four years ago? You failed to mention that. Bush did tell us, well not us, but the Pharmaceutical and Insurance companies that hope is on the way. Hope in the name of tort reform, or as I like to call it, “attack John Edwards and all trial lawyers plan 9”. Which leaves us with the question, “How much is that child worth?”

We’ve all seen it, the lady who sues for one million dollars because her coffee was too hot, the man who slips on a grape and sues for thousands of dollars, and the guy who parachutes from a cliff in a National park right next to the ‘Do Not Jump’ sign. We all accept that there are frivolous lawsuits, it’s a fact of life. The fallacy in the Bush plan is simple, actually one word describes it. Neglect.

Recent legislation, supported by Mr. Bush suggests that Pharmaceutical companies should not be held liable for their products while at the same time making it illegal for patients to obtain drugs from other countries, often saving the customer thousands of dollars. There is not one part of that bill that would support the American family, it is designed solely for corporate America, the America George Bush speaks to. With that said, lets take a look at who will suffer in George Bushes America.

In Rodriguez v. Feinstein, M .D., a patient and her child brought a medical malpractice case against a doctor alleging that he failed to warn the patient not to become pregnant while taking a medication. The allegations were that taking the medication during pregnancy resulted in the infant's serious birth defects. What is it worth Mr. Bush? This families lifetime of pain and suffering, caring for this child? Who puts a price on neglect?

Here is what we do know about a few drugs that are currently the subjects of many personal injury lawsuits across the nation. OxyContin, Rush’s favorite, has been linked to over 100 deaths and that increased abuse of OxyContin can be attributed to the manufacturer's aggressive promotion of the drug. Critics believe Purdue Pharma did not adequately warn doctors and patients about the highly addictive properties of the drug. The makers of Celebrex actually wanted to hide their products side effects. Celebrex has been linked to 10 deaths and 11 cases of gastrointestinal bleeding that required hospitalization. In February 2000, the FDA denied a request by the makers of Celebrex to remove label warnings about serious stomach ulcers. In a review of several studies involving approximately 48,000 patients, researchers discovered that patients taking Celebrex were twice as likely to suffer from cardiovascular problems such as blood clots, heart attack, and stroke. Were these patients warned? When the drug reps took these doctors donuts did they warn them of these adverse reactions? How much is that loved one worth Mr. Bush? We go back to that one word, neglect.

Often times drug companies rush a drug to market to recoup research and development costs, case in point, Rezulin. Rezulin is an anti-hyperglycemic drug that increases insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle and decreases glucose production in the liver. The FDA pulled Rezulin off the market in March 2000 after receiving reports of 90 cases of liver failure. Sixty-three of those cases resulted in death and 10 resulted in liver transplants. In addition to liver failure, Rezulin has also been linked to heart failure. In a study conducted before Rezulin's approval, researchers discovered that Rezulin caused abnormal thickening in the left ventricular wall of the heart, a condition that can lead to heart failure. In this rush to profit sixty-three people died, families left without loved ones, children without mothers or fathers. Is this Mr. Bushes compassionate America? Maybe compassion for American Industry would be a better catch phrase.

Another rush to market plan gone awry is Baycol. Bayer Pharmaceutical, makers of Baycol voluntarily recalled the cholesterol drug because it has been linked to approximately 40 deaths. Baycol can cause a muscular side effect called rhabdomyolysis - destroyed muscles cells are released into the bloodstream and cause severe pain in the lower back and calves of the leg. The condition eventually leads to kidney failure. How will we compensate the American families for their loss? In George Bushes America we won’t. In George Bushes America we will protect profits, not Americans.

This is what the Republican Party says it wants to protect you from, men like John Edwards. Men who have fought these companies and won, won for the working men and women of America, won for children injured by companies rushing products to market. The amount of their settlements is not important, what is important is that are men and women who fight for you. "This is a man who understands the needs of the ordinary person," said Helene E. Blank, a plaintiff's attorney in Brooklyn for the past 27 years who specializes in medical malpractice. "The little guy would have no access to the court system without people like John Edwards doing what he does."

Now why would the spouse of a Doctor who has been sued for malpractice take the time to write this article? First a little background in my wife’s case, which was dropped. She saw a patient once, sent them to the hospital where she was operated on. She died from complications from that surgery. There was malpractice but not by my wife, the surgeon left a “bleeder” when he closed. My wife had nothing to do with the surgery, she only diagnosed the problem, the patient chose the surgeon. I mention this only to show how the legal system worked in her case. The fact of the matter is that a lawyer said, “name everyone” in the suit, “we’ll shake the trees and see who pays”. It’s a common legal tactic. Should we condemn an entire legal system for this practice? If we do, who suffers? Republicans will have you believe we suffer, suffer by having to pay higher insurance premiums, and higher medical bills. This is just not the case, the real benefactor here is the Insurance companies who set the fees of the doctor, the Pharmaceutical companies who sell the drugs, and the politicians who are paid by the lobbyists. Ask yourself one question, how many of those people on the floor of the Republican convention would NOT sue a negligent company?

My wife and I both came from working class roots, a strong union background. We both saw the need of the American family to be able to hold companies responsible for neglect. Neglect, the one word you didn’t hear Mr. Bush say, the one word that describes his entire Presidency. Neglect.

Michael Harris