We're used to these in Illinois, although Gov. Blagojevich hasn't thwarted the legislative process since last October. Get ready. Change the names, and this may be in your state's future:
AUSTIN, Texas Feb 2, 2007 (AP) -- Bypassing the Legislature altogether, Republican Gov. Rick Perry issued an order Friday making Texas the first state to require that schoolgirls get vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.
By employing an executive order, Perry sidestepped opposition in the Legislature from conservatives and parents' rights groups who fear such a requirement would condone premarital sex and interfere with the way Texans raise their children.
Beginning in September 2008, girls entering the sixth grade meaning, generally, girls ages 11 and 12 will have to receive Gardasil, Merck & Co.'s new vaccine against strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV....
Of course, the quid pro quo:
Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass state laws across the country mandating Gardasil 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.
Perry has several ties to Merck and Women in Government. One of the drug company's three lobbyists in Texas is Mike Toomey, Perry's 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.
Perry also received $6,000 from Merck's political action committee during his re-election campaign.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/02/02/tx.cervical.cancer.ap/
[Hat tip: Reader Michelle P.]
Comments:
The man *calls* himself a conservative. Heck, I don't see how he can do this and call himself a Texan. We have a proud history of doing things OUR way, overbearing political dictators be damned!
Posted by: Michelle Potter at February 3, 2007 12:35 PMAs a left-wing pro-choice American, I can't help but see the bright side of your opposition to this life-saving vaccine: Only the daughters of you religious terrorists will die of cervical cancer and liberals will begin to outnumber you in even greater numbers than they do now. Way to go! Yay you!
Posted by: Jane at February 3, 2007 1:25 PMYet another reason to home school your children.
Posted by: Tony at February 3, 2007 3:23 PMHow ridiculous that any parents would want to protect their children from a possibly life-threatening disease, rather than keeping said children ignorant and hoping they will avoid premarital sex.
Posted by: Laura at February 3, 2007 9:29 PMHow ridiculous that any parents would want to protect their children from a possibly life-threatening disease, rather than keeping said children ignorant and hoping they will avoid premarital sex.
You know what is really sad? It has been known for years that HPV can cause cervical cancer. It has also been know that HPV is transmitted from skin to skin pelvic contact (condoms do not stop it).
Why is it that our daughters have been taught in Planned Parenthood designed sex ed classes that condoms stop STDs and that sex can be rendered "safe".
Do you know anyone who has cervical cancer from HPV? Don't you think this little factoid would make them a little testy?
Seems the only time this sort of thing warrants exposure in the media is when a buck can be made by the pharmaceutical whores pimping our teenaged daughters.
The Facts About GARDASIL
1) GARDASIL is a vaccine for 4 strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), two strains that are strongly associated (and probably cause) genital warts and two strains that are typically associated (and may cause) cervical cancer. About 90% of people with genital warts show exposure to one of the two HPV strains strongly suspected to cause genital warts. About 70% of women with cervical cancer show exposure to one of the other two HPV strains that the vaccine is designed to confer resistance to.
2) HPV is a sexually communicable (not an infectious) virus. When you consider all strains of HPV, over 70% of sexually active males and females have been exposed. A condom helps a lot (70% less likely to get it), but has not been shown to stop transmission in all cases (only one study of 82 college girls who self-reported about condom use has been done). For the vast majority of women, exposure to HPV strains (even the four "bad ones" protected for in GARDASIL) results in no known health complications of any kind.
3) Cervical cancer is not a deadly nor prevalent cancer in the US or any other first world nation. Cervical cancer rates have declined sharply over the last 30 years and are still declining. Cervical cancer accounts for less than 1% of of all female cancer cases and deaths in the US. Cervical cancer is typically very treatable and the prognosis for a healthy outcome is good. The typical exceptions to this case are old women, women who are already unhealthy and women who don't get pap smears until after the cancer has existed for many years.
4) Merck's clinical studies for GARDASIL were problematic in several ways. Only 20,541 women were used (half got the "placebo") and their health was followed up for only four years at maximum and typically 1-3 years only. More critically, only 1,121 of these subjects were less than 16. The younger subjects were only followed up for a maximum of 18 months. Furthermore, less than 10% of these subjects received true placebo injections. The others were given injections containing an aluminum salt adjuvant (vaccine enhancer) that is also a component of GARDASIL. This is scientifically preposterous, especially when you consider that similar alum adjuvants are suspected to be responsible for Gulf War disease and other possible vaccination related complications.
5) Both the "placebo" groups and the vaccination groups reported a myriad of short term and medium term health problems over the course of their evaluations. The majority of both groups reported minor health complications near the injection site or near the time of the injection. Among the vaccination group, reports of such complications were slightly higher. The small sample that was given a real placebo reported far fewer complications -- as in less than half. Furthermore, most if not all longer term complications were written off as not being potentially vaccine caused for all subjects.
6) Because the pool of test subjects was so small and the rates of cervical cancer are so low, NOT A SINGLE CONTROL SUBJECT ACTUALLY CONTRACTED CERVICAL CANCER IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM -- MUCH LESS DIED OF IT. Instead, this vaccine's supposed efficacy is based on the fact that the vaccinated group ended up with far fewer cases (5 vs. about 200) of genital warts and "precancerous lesions" (dysplasias) than the alum injected "control" subjects.
7) Because the tests included just four years of follow up at most, the long term effects and efficacy of this vaccine are completely unknown for anyone. All but the shortest term effects are completely unknown for little girls. Considering the tiny size of youngster study, the data about the shortest terms side effects for girls are also dubious.
8) GARDASIL is the most expensive vaccine ever marketed. It requires three vaccinations at $120 a pop for a total price tag of $360. It is expected to be Merck's biggest cash cow of this and the next decade.
These are simply the facts of the situation as presented by Merck and the FDA.
Posted by: stickdog at February 4, 2007 5:25 AM