Posted on 09/16/2011 7:51:54 AM PDT by Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus
Michele Bachmann is on the defensive about comments she made earlier this week suggesting that a vaccine against a virus linked to cervical cancer poses a danger to young girls.
"During the debate, I didn't make any statements that would indicate that I'm a doctor, I'm a scientist or that I'm making any conclusions about the drug one way or another," the GOP presidential hopeful told reporters here who questioned her about the story she told suggesting that the vaccine had caused mental retardation. Asked whether she would apologize for comments that outraged medical experts say will discourage parents from getting their children immunized, Bachmann said: "Oh, I'm not going to answer that."
During the Republican debate Bachmann attacked her rival Rick Perry for mandating vaccinations against the human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) for Texas school girls - a decision that the Texas legislature later overruled.
"To have innocent little 12-year-old girls be forced to have a government injection through an executive order is just flat out wrong," she said during the debate.
After the debate, Bachmann took her critique a step further, describing in several television interviews how a tearful mother had approached her after the debate saying that her daughter "suffered mental retardation" as a result of the vaccine.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
I was under the impression that redistricting was already going to take care of that. She has nothing to lose, which is probably why she started on this ill-advised adventure in the first place.
Bachmann digging in.
Many times one has to stop digging. Bachmann should consider doing so, as this may not be ‘the issue’ she wants to hang her president run on.
Advice: Pick your battles. This is NOT one that will boost you. Real doctors have already proclaimed the retardation comment as wrong.
One big difference is the mortality rate. Another, for some but not all of the mandated vaccines, is communicability.
The mortality rate for influenza is greater than for HPV. If 10,000 people get flu, and 10,000 people get HPV, more will die from flu and complications than from HPV.
Measles, diptheria, whooping cough are highly contagious, and have higher mortality rates than influenza.
Frankly, driftwood, we need a higher caliber conservative than someone like Michelle O’Bachmann that goes on hysterical, almost delusional rants against fellow conservatives, blathering info she got from yet another hysterical groupie (or else she just made it up). She’s a national figure as a candidate. She needs to step up her game and act like one. Pitiful.
Thank you, that makes perfect sense.
I have a friend-of-a-friend whose daughter is severely disabled with autism and he blames the immunizations, I guess because she was fine up until the point of being vaccinated. Not sure how I feel about that, as I've heard different arguments there. I also have a family member whose little boy was diagnosed with "autism spectrum disorder" at 18 months and she immediately put him on a whole protocol of vitamins and supplements and he is now testing completely normal. So if I did have kids, this kind of vaccine stuff would really freak me out. I can understand the measles, polio, etc... but the other stuff I think I would reconsider. I wouldn't like them telling me it was mandatory.
Well, how exactly do you think I bought my new Ferrari?
Don’t care what Ron Paul says.
Frankly I have yet to see a Perry supporter with the least moral courage to face the real issue here which is his cronyism.
Over 4,000 people die per year to cervical cancer.
How many people die each year in the US due to flu?
We have a pretty good prediatrician who respects parental rights. We’ve told her that they can give our son (almost two years old) the basic regiment, but beyond that we’re not interested.
Fine, she’s not the best candidate.
So why do you go around saying she has an anus for a mouth? is that all the class that you have?
None of them are perfect. Any of them except Huntsman and Paul would be better than BO.
While it’s an interesting issue, I think this HPV thing is the first time some conservatives really are acting anti-science. It’s not a religious issue, and I strongly suspect fighting the virus that causes cervical cancer is a good thing.
BTW they didn’t approve it for boys but it likely prevents other cancers as well, and all would do well not to carry this virus.
IMHO
That comment was meant entirely for you, drift.
“Frankly I have yet to see a Perry supporter with the least moral courage to face the real issue here which is his cronyism.”
Or his use of taxpayers money to support illegal immigrants.
While she’s right on the point about vaccination should be voluntary, ... .
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Your view is libertarianism run amok. Parents have no right to send their un-vaccinated children to places where they can infect other children. Nor does a solder have a right to infect his platoon-mates by refusing a vaccination. Let’s not cheapen personal liberty by trying to stretch it to a ridiculous extent.
>> Rush says she jumped the shark...put a folk in her she’s done <<
Hey, don’t be so fast with your conclusion! Deidre Imus ought to be supporting her by now!
Between 3,000 and 49,000 a year (lot of fluctuation).
“Well, how exactly do you think I bought my new Ferrari?”
I assumed you borrowed it from your hero, Justin Beiber.
Interesting that so many ‘conservatives’ here are critical of the most conservative candidate in the race.
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