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GUESTS: Loretta J. Ross, National Coordinator of the SisterSong, Judy Norsigian, Executive Director of the Our Bodies Ourselves, Moiv, reproductive freedom blogger

Last week, in a continuing sign of President Bush’s disregard for political consensus, he stealthily appointed Dr.Eric Keroack to head the office of population affairs. The Office of Population Affairs (OPA) serves as the focal point to advise the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary for Health on a wide range of reproductive health topics, including adolescent pregnancy, family planning, and sterilization, as well as other population issues. Dr. Keroack’s appointment angers reproductive justice and women’s advocates because of his connections with Christian right, the pro-life movement, and his controversial directorship of a network of pregnancy counseling centers in Massachusetts. The centers advocate for sexual abstinence until marriage, oppose contraception and do not distribute any information promoting birth control. Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, called Keroack’s appointment “striking proof that the Bush administration remains dramatically out of step with the nation’s priorities.”

For more information, visit Talk To Action, Our Bodies Ourselves and Sister Song