Action Alert for Michiganians

The Greater Area Detroit Chamber of Congress weren’t the only ones on chilly damp Mackinac Island on May 27. DIME or Drug Industry Immunity Must End was also there. DIME is focused on ending Michigan’s one of a kind drug immunity law that shields drug companies when their products harm or kill people. There is no other state that gives the absolute immunity that Michigan does. Even conservative Texas, the state with a law closest to Michigan’s, has exceptions to complete immunity. Michigan is in its own legal universe on this one.
DIME , who has had help with organizing from Michigan Citizen Action, based out of Kalamazoo , held a press conference that opened with Democratic Party Chairperson Mark Brewer pointing out that targeted Michigan Supreme Court Justice Robert Young voted to uphold the law in a 2002 Michigan Supreme Court decision. Justice Young is a former insurance company lawyer who votes in favor of the insurance companies 80 % of the time. Justice Young is up for re-election in 2010 and the Democrats are hoping to vote him out, much in the same way as they did Cliff Taylor in 2008.
Brewer says of Justice Young on the Democratic Party website:
“Bob Young has been part of the denial of justice to hundreds if not thousands of victims of harmful drug company products because of this 1996 law which he voted to uphold in 2002. Bob Young and the Supreme Court could have struck down this law in 2002, but instead sided with the big drug companies who support their election to the Court “.
Linda Teeter, Executive director of Michigan Citizen Action also spoke at the Press Conference. Ms Teeter is calling on Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop (R) to be for the people of Michigan and not the drug companies.
State Senator Bishop has been quite controversial in this whole affair. In April 2009, Senator Bishop said he planned on being a “stopper” for the repeal bill that has made it through the Michigan House. 78% of the people in Michigan polled said they want this awful law repealed, yet this doesn’t seem to bother the Republican Senate Majority leader. Mark Brewer, when he spoke, called on Senator Bishop to bring the repeal bill to the floor of the Senate for a vote.
The most heartfelt message at the Press Conference came from Leslee Wiltjer of Boyne City. Leslee is married to Robert Wiltjer. Robert took Celebrex and suffered side effects that resulted in a stroke and other medical complications. Robert is still not fully recovered. Leslee said that when Robert first started taking Celebrex the only warning on the bottle was that it could be harmful for elderly women with kidney problems. Leslee’s husband Robert was a professional and now his retirement plans are destroyed.
Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra are a class of similar drugs that have been very controversial. Vioxx has been blamed for thousands of deaths. Unlike the rest of the country, Michigan residents have no legal recourse when their lives are ruined by unsafe drugs. There are, of course many more harmful prescription drugs that Michigan residents have no legal option for redress if harmed by them.
The bill to repeal this evil law has passed the Michigan House. State Senator Bishop needs to allow the bill to get out of committee and let it have a fair up or down vote. June 2nd is the target date for a vote in the Michigan Senate. Contact Senator Bishop at 517-373-2417 or email at SenMBishop@seante.michigan.gov. and let Senator Bishop know that we are not second class citizens in Michigan. We deserve the same rights as other Americans when harmful drugs destroy our or our loved ones lives. Leslee says the time for repeal of the bill is overdue.