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.
Your allergist/immunologist gave you an incorrect/incomplete data. There are different types of vaccines. Ask him/her which type the 80% applies to.
Nobody. But I guess you just can't trust parents judgement because they're not *trained* medical porfessionals. ( Kind of like paretns aren't capable of educating their own children because theeeey're not trianed educators)
Oatmeal baths worked wonders. I stuck some oatmeal in an old stocking and threw it in the warm, NOT HOT, bathwater and it worked wonders. And the kids loved it.
Too early to FReep. Try again.....
(Kind of like parents aren't capable of educating their own children because they're not trained educators)
Merck, the producer of Vioxx.
"However, the biggest problem I have is that Perry did this by exuctive order, entirely bypassing the Legislature and any deliberative debate or citizen input."
Remember what Lanny Davis said?
"Stroke of the pen, law of the land. Pretty cool."
At least the Clinton's overall political philosophy lined up with this type of action. Conservatives are supposed to be against this type of thing. Problem is, most of the conservatives in politics these days are actually big-gov't liberals.
And the scary part?
That's not satire. They believe it.
Just keep watchin' our taxes go up...
I agree with you sentiment, however. I would part ways with you on making it "mandatory." Make it available, publicize it, advertise it, give people a chance to talk to their physicians about it and make a decision as a parent. But, make it mandatory? Hmmm. That's my objection, to the "mandatory" nature of it. IF it's a lifesaver, publicize it and claim it as such, so others can challenge the data if need be. Make it available and let the parenets decide, not the governor.
"How you raise your daughter has no impact whatsoever on whether her husband, on her wedding day, infects her with HPV."
Your level of concern for others is amazing but shouldn't that be their business instead of yours?
I mean, after all, if they are both concerned about this, then all they have to do is to have this vaccine themselves and that solves their problem, right? Why does the whole population have to have it?
After all, as conservatives, shouldn't we be after the solution which maximizes effectiveness along with personal responsibility?
I agree it's lame what he's setup but you can't claim that it isn't 100% voluntary.
Even if you have to fill out an affadavit you can.. and if you can list religious or other reasons then they can't deny you.
Therefore you can't get out of it with 100% certainty.
While better than nothing, I still find that option unacceptable. No matter how it is construed it still places the burden to opt out ENTIRELY on the parent. Parents should not have to go begging to the government simply to exercise a basic right about the upbringing of their children.
Hey doc. Any chance we could get a source for your outrageously high 80% infection rate stat? I'm no MD, but I do happen to be a statistician and would like the opportunity to examine the scientific validity of the unsourced HPV infection rate statistics that are being tossed out by people like you on this thread.
Specifically, where did they take that sample from? When did they take it? How was the diagnosis made? Was it representative of the general U.S. population? How many participated? What percentage of respondents were sexually active outside of wedlock? I look forward to your response.
Source please. If you're going to throw out statistics that are inevitably obtained by some sort of sampling technique you need to be able to back it up with a source and provide transparency on the methodology used. That way those of us who are professionals at that sort of thing can verify if you understand what you are talking about.
The polio pathogen is airborne. You can only get HPV via banging. Big difference.
Thank you! We can't protect our children from every future possibility..they could get into a car accident if they drive, they could be robbed, they could be raped, their future spouses could be jerks, etc etc etc... it is up to us to equip them as children with the knowledge and skills to help them be as safe as possible..but we can't just bow down to whatever the government tells us is good for them because of what might happen later on.. these things have to be our decision..we cannot allow any more of our parental rights to be usurped by those who claim to know what's best for our children.
You have to be really careful believing every government statistic you read my friend.. 1 in 10 are supposed to be homosexual.. 1 in 4 girls were supposedly molested by family members... I suppose you believe that too?
"Once a 'rat...always a 'rat IMHO"
In Perry's case this may be true.. but I was once a hard core "rat", who turned her life around and now my views make Rush Limbaugh look like a socialist.. people can change, however most politicians aren't "people"...hehe
God bless you honey....
I put my daughter's life in the hands of God.. you are putting your trust in the advertising of a profiteering drug company.. why do you believe everything they tell you about this vaccine? If my daughter chose to get this vaccine when she was 18, it's up to her. Until then, it's up to me to research all the FACTS and make the decision for her.
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