WOMAN OF COURAGE

Nigerian pharmacologist, Dora Nkem Akunyili, has taken on the manufacturers of fake drugs which have poured in from India and China. Since taking over the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, the organisation has confiscated and destroyed counterfeit drugs worth $16 million. These include fake insulin, anti-biotics and chloroquine which has contributed to new strains of malaria parasite resistant to this treatment.
Criminals are shifting from narcotic smuggling and gun running to counterfeiting drugs which is low risk but financially lucrative.
Multinationals have pulled out of the country but not before some were implicated in re-selling expired medicines. Not just drugs either, Nestle had imported and re-labelled expired skim milk, Cadbury imported expired chocolate and Coca-Cola was told to improve the quality of its drinks.
Dora Nkem Akunyili has survived one shooting and lives surrounded by security guards 24 hours a day. She handles stress with her faith and prayer.
In 2003, she was awarded a Transperancy International Integrity Award for her work in fighting corruption. I admire her.

I don't admire this woman. Maryam Farahat is a newly elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and is proud that, at her urging, three of her sons have died for Palestine.
She has many grandchildren as a consolation and I presume, as back ups. She's old, why didn't she sacrifice herself for Palestine? I can't admire any mother, of any race or faith, who turns her children into lethal weapons for whatever the cause.

I don't admire the Pharmaceutical companies that have decided not to import RU486 into Australia. They think the market is too limited and they don't want to stir up the "pro-life" movement which might give them bad publicity and lead to a drop in sales. The bottom line here, is as always, with multinationals, no profit, lets drop it.

I certainly don't admire this man. Cardinal Pell has the view that church teaching should always over-ride personal conscience. Well Cardinal Pell, when I stand in front of God, without any religion, my conscience is what I will hand over. That's what I will ask to be judged on.