Posted on 02/05/2007 7:13:36 AM PST by Froufrou
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 can cause cervical cancer.
By using an executive order, Perry sidestepped opposition in the Legislature from conservatives and parents-rights groups who fear such a requirement would seem to 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.
Perry also directed state health authorities to make the vaccine available free to girls 9 to 18 who are uninsured or whose insurance does not cover vaccines. In addition, he ordered that Medicaid offer Gardasil to women ages 19 to 21.
Perry, a conservative Christian who opposes abortion 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 from the one that protects children against polio.
"The HPV vaccine provides us with an incredible opportunity to effectively target and prevent cervical cancer," Perry said.
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 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.
The governor also received $6,000 from Merck's political action committee during his re-election campaign.
The order is effective until Perry or a successor changes it, and the Legislature has no authority to repeal it, said Perry spokeswoman Krista Moody. Moody said the Texas Constitution permits the governor to order other members of the executive branch to adopt rules like this one.
Texas allows parents to opt out of inoculations by filing affidavits objecting to vaccines on religious or philosophical reasons. Even with such provisions, however, conservative groups say such requirements interfere with parents' rights to make medical decisions for their children.
Are there any data on the cases where HPV vaccine has an unintended effect? Surely there are some such cases. Surely it's up to the parents to decide if they want to take those risks. Isn't it?
In this case, it's more difficult to catch, and there is an element of choice in catching it (one doesn't HAVE to have sex). By all means, the vaccine should be available. If the Governor had gotten the drug companies to give a discount, he should be applauded - but that's not what he's doing.
Regards, Ivan
There's something very ugly about all this. It's very powermad, I think. What if this vaccine has not had sufficient trial? What if we have a huge Gen. Next down the road who can't have kids themselves or have some other permanent side effect?
If I lived in Texas and had a daughter, and could not opt out, I would move. This smells like the Soviet Union!
"PARENTS CAN OPT OUT FOR RELIGIOUS OR MORAL GROUNDS."
And seat belt laws are never going to be a primary offense. And your SSN will never be used as an identifier. And you can do anything you want with property you own.
In 10 years your "opt out" clause will be a quaint memory.
Scroll through this thread. There's lot's of good links & information.
bttt
'religious or philosophical' opting out? Won't this truly label the family?
I think they even tested males with their trials. Hmmm...
Regards, Ivan
"Since a vaccination is a MEDICAL procedure, Governor Perry is practicing medicine without a license."
The authority is in the Education Code. Same authority that requires all the other vaccinations (measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus) for school kids.
No, he ordered that it be mandatory for all girls entering the sixth grade, with parental opt-out provisions that may or may not be ignored by schools.
Me? I wouldn't want my daughters to die because they or their future husbands made a stupid mistake, so I would not object.
How would you like for your 11 or 12 y/o daughter to die from an allergic reation to a vaccination that has had inadequate testing.
Exactly!
Me, too.
I was right. The trials included tests on males 9-15:
http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/g/gardasil/gardasil_pi.pdf
"In 10 years your "opt out" clause will be a quaint memory."
Nonsense. You can still opt out of all vaccinations, and have been able to since the polio vaccine came out.
Nope, and Perry is going to get crucified for this.
The data is very limited because there has been insufficient time and testing for those potential items to surface, not to mention that the medical community has no idea what kind of super-strains of HPV will mutate as a result of this vaccination getting into contact with existing HPV and/or combinations of HPV and herpes or chlamydia.
"How would you like for your 11 or 12 y/o daughter to die from an allergic reation to a vaccination that has had inadequate testing."
Since I don't live in fantasy luddite land, I don't have to worry about that.
This thing does smell. Pardon me while I don my tinfoil hat, but I have my suspicions that it's all tied to the UN's Healthy People 2010 mess which is being used to establish a database for universal health-care.
We may not see it in our lifetimes, but our children most likely will.....with their life-long medical records from attending 'public school' to implement it.
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