Posted on 02/02/2007 1:28:44 PM PST by YCTHouston
AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry ordered today that schoolgirls in Texas must be vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer, making Texas the first state to require the shots.
The girls will have to get Merck & Co.'s new vaccine against strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, that are responsible for most cases of cervical cancer.
Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass laws in state legislatures across the country mandating it Gardasil vaccine for girls as young as 11 or 12. It doubled its lobbying budget in Texas and has funneled money through Women in Government, an advocacy group made up of female state legislators around the country.
Details of the order were not immediately available, but the governor's office confirmed to The Associated Press that he was signing the order and he would comment Friday afternoon.
Perry has several ties to Merck and Women in Government. One of the drug company's three lobbyists in Texas is Mike Toomey, his former chief of staff. His current chief of staff's mother-in-law, Texas Republican state Rep. Dianne White Delisi, is a state director for Women in Government.
Toomey was expected to be able to woo conservative legislators concerned about the requirement stepping on parent's rights and about signaling tacit approval of sexual activity to young girls. Delisi, as head of the House public health committee, which likely would have considered legislation filed by a Democratic member, also would have helped ease conservative opposition.
Perry also received $6,000 from Merck's political action committee during his re-election campaign.
It wasn't immediately clear how long the order would last and whether the legislation was still necessary. However it could have been difficult to muster support from lawmakers who champion abstinence education and parents' rights.
Perry, a conservative Christian who opposes abortion rights and stem-cell research using embryonic cells, counts on the religious right for his political base.
But he has said the cervical cancer vaccine is no different than the one that protects children against polio.
"If there are diseases in our society that are going to cost us large amounts of money, it just makes good economic sense, not to mention the health and well being of these individuals to have those vaccines available," he said.
Texas allows parents to opt out of inoculations by filing an affidavit stating that he or she objected to the vaccine for religious or philosophical reasons.
Even with such provisions, however, conservative groups say mandates take away parents' rights to be the primary medical decision maker for their children.
The federal government approved Gardasil in June, and a government advisory panel has recommended that all girls get the shots at 11 and 12, before they are likely to be sexually active.
The New Jersey-based drug company could generate billions in sales if Gardasil — at $360 for the three-shot regimen — were made mandatory across the country. Most insurance companies now cover the vaccine, which has been shown to have no serious side effects.
Merck spokeswoman Janet Skidmore would not say how much the company is spending on lobbyists or how much it has donated to Women in Government. Susan Crosby, the group's president, also declined to specify how much the drug company gave.
A top official from Merck's vaccine division sits on Women in Government's business council, and many of the bills around the country have been introduced by members of Women in Government.
I'm wondering myself about the link between vaccines and asthma. The thinking in the medical community for some years now is that having a too clean environment and not enough illnesses can be a contributing factor in allergies and asthma. They are both on the rise and so is the number of vaccines given kids.
There's a whole lot wrong with this whole situation.
maybe after 20 years i'll think about it. But frankly i don't conduct myself in a manner that i would contact the diesease of AIDS so there for, i really dont need it
"Unless we start promoting Greek orgies in our classrooms, I seriously doubt a pandemic."
Obviously, you didn't get the bulletin. That event was last month...
I keep wondering when someone is going to worry about the gay boys whose insurance companies won't pay for this vaccine because the State doesn't mandate it.
From my blog article:
"We all hope that our daughters and sons will meet their perfect mate, get married while they are both virgins. Then, we wouldn't have to worry about 99.7% of all cervical cancer. However, as Dr. Gene Rudd of the Christian and Dental Medical Association has said, no matter how well we raise our daughters and sons, their future husbands and wives may not have benefitted from the same background. A virginal wife can catch the virus from her husband on their wedding night(and vice versa - although he has vastly less risk of cancer of the penis in the US [- presumably due to our clean water and hygiene practices])."
No more conizations, freezing and laser zapping of the cervix -- so much less cervical incompetence.
At least some less transmission of other STD's, because the cervical mucosa is healthy.
And no more vulvar resections - one of the ugliest procedures.
"Perry did this? OMG "
Sound like a dictator?
"I keep wondering when someone is going to worry about the gay boys whose insurance companies won't pay for this vaccine because the State doesn't mandate it."
You're going to have to wait a long time before you see me shed a tear. I thought you were a conservative, and you're actually arguing that the state should MANDATE coverage of treatment for *lifestyle* choices?
And I have no idea what a Christian Dentist is, unless that means he prays before he pries my mouth open, but I couldn't care a wit what he has to say about Gubernatorial fiat.
You do realize that there's no way to prove that HPV causes cervical cancer other than to innoculate women and wait and see? I don't think we're going to get that proof.
I'm just saying that this is one battle we didn't have to fight. I doubt that Farrar is any where near "happy" that the Governor did this. But, she can't afford to criticize him -- it is her issue, after all.
Now, she won't get to stall the embryonic stem cell testimony until 2 AM with this bill.
For years, I've fussed and testified that condoms don't protect against this virus, and the "comprehensive sex ed" group gasps and tells me not to use scare tactics.
I've testified several times at Texas Medical Association that the other docs should not be so totalitarian about mandated vaccines. I lobbied against the bill that made the "opt-out" a yearly rather than once thing.
Where we should "spend our political capital."is on the fact of yearly opt out and the lack of ability to get ethically-neutral vaccines (at least this one isn't produced in human fetal tissue cultures from aborted babies).
We also need to watch for moves to de-emphasize abstinence-based sex ed because this vaccine exists.
Every year, there's a push at TMA and then every other year at the legislature to change the age of consent - to lower the age and/or to protect docs who don't want to report when the abuse is same-sex or the abuser is older than the child.
There's the huge push to change Texas law so that State clinics and even private docs are forbidden to get parental consent for contraceptives -- after all, the Federally funded clinics forbid parental notification, much less consent, and it confuses the docs.
Where we should "spend our political capital."is on the fact of yearly opt out and the lack of ability to get ethically-neutral vaccines (at least this one isn't produced in human fetal tissue cultures from aborted babies). We also need to watch for moves to de-emphasize abstinence-based sex ed because this vaccine exists.
Oh, btw, how many of you teach or at least review the sex ed program in your school district?
Can't anybody make a choice and live with the consequences anymore?
"Time for home schooling"
It's been time for a while.
From the man that brought you the Trans Texas Corridor.
The sex ed curriculum in the school district we lived in when the kids reached school age was the major reason we homeschooled there. There were several other reasons and we were undecided... until that came up. That settled it for us.
You must be a male. This vaccine is only effective for 3 strains of HPV. There are many more. This vaccine can cause pain at the site of the vaccine and who knows what other symptoms. This vaccine is not needed for girls who do not sleep around. This vaccine must be administered in a series of 3 applications and it must be done every 5 years. I would say nuts to you Gov. Perry. You have no right to tell parents what kind of medical protection to give to their children. I hope the parents in Texas tell Gov. Perry they are not happy with his decision.
Argue against it by all means, but know the facts. It's only effective against 4 strains - but those are the strains that cause most of the cervical cancer and genital warts. There are many HPV strains that are asymptomatic and cause no problem. And ANY vaccine can cause pain at the site of the vaccination, usually fairly brief.
"I doubt that Farrar is any where near "happy" that the Governor did this. But, she can't afford to criticize him -- it is her issue, after all."
Well doesn't that prove the point?
He might as well send some money to Planned Parenthood, you know, to take her issue away.
It only "works" for 3 or 4 strains of HPV. There are many many more out there for which the vaccine does nothing offers no protection.
Yes, and those are mostly asymptomatic strains which cause no problem. If you're against the vaccination, fine, but know the facts of the matter.
From the NIH site: "There are over 100 strains of HPV, many of which exhibit no symptoms and clear up on their own. But some strains are cause for particular concern, especially HPV16 and HPV18, which cause approximately 70% of cervical cancer world wide. HPV6 and HPV11, although generally considered to be nononcogenic, cause approximately 90% of genital warts. Gardasil® prevents infection against these four forms of HPV, in effect; preventing the majority of HPV related illnesses."
It appears not. The self-appointed elite, who think they know better for everyone what is best for them, for some as yet unexpalined reason, has deemed that the great unwashed masses are not capable of deciding for themselves what to do with their lives and what is best for themselves and their own children. So it falls to the self-appointed elite to decide for them and make them do it, willing or not. And if you object, you're *anti-science* or *anti-cancer prevention* or *anti-whatever-else-they-choose-to-accuse-you-of*. And sadly, they're being supported by some on FR.
Metmom, it's well established that particular strains of the virus are implicated in cervical cancer.
Wrong. It's offering a vaccine against genital warts. Genital warts, in rare cases, can also contribute to cervical cancer. The vaccine itself does NOT cure cancer though. It only prevents genital warts, and in doing so reduces the risk of cancer. The language you use to describe things is important. If you want all girls vaccinated against genital warts say so. If you want to reduce the risk of cancer by vaccinating girls against genital warts you can say that too, even though I'll disagree about its necessity. But don't misportray the genital wart vaccine as a cure for cancer.
It protects against two strains of HPV that cause genital warts, and two other strains that cause cervical cancer. So no, it isn't solely a genital wart vaccine. Anyone who claims it as a cure for cancer is wrong, but I haven't seen that claimed on this thread. Prevent, yes, cure, no.
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