Tommy Thompson

12,000 more Iowa GOP voters were expected than showed for the Straw Poll - a rejection of the field? Does the low turnout and surprising finish of Gov. Mike Huckabee signal an end to a generation of strident anti-abortion politics?

Though the American public has been mostly insulated from the near brawls between the Republican hopefuls, Sunday's ABC Presidential Forum in Des Moines has begun to drag some of the GOP carnage into the spotlight.

The press is missing an important story: most of the same presidential candidates who want to make abortion illegal are also refusing to support prevention programs that make abortions less necessary.

We all could use a reality check this campaign season! RH Reality Check has got the reproductive rights run-down on all the 2008 presidential candidates for you. Check out our new 2008 Presidential Campaign and Election Page!

Editorial Note: With this post RH Reality Check welcomes its newest staff blogger, Tyler LePard. Tyler has worked in and volunteered with a variety of reproductive health organizations, as well as in other progressive causes. She has her BA from Wesleyan University and a Masters in Public Policy from George Washington Univeristy. We are pleased she has joined our team and we know you will look forward to reading her posts.

If you happened to read a press release from Instead Sciences, Inc. on Business Wire a couple of days ago, you may have gotten very excited about the first approved microbicide about to hit the market. But hold on a minute - settle down and prepare for disappointment. This was just a misunderstanding - a tweaking, if you will, by some PR people.

When Tommy Thompson (the Chair of Instead Sciences, Inc.) said "Amphora -- which already has FDA safety clearance for human use -- is in the best position to be the first approved microbicide", apparently what he really meant is that Amphora has been approved as a sexual lubricant... and that they might know something about its effectiveness in preventing infection (such as Chlamydia and Gonorrhea) by the year 2010. MAYBE.