Posted on 09/13/2011 2:48:19 PM PDT by neverdem
More than an hour into last night’s debate, Rep. Michele Bachmann attacked Gov. Rick Perry on the HPV vaccination controversy — or more accurately pseudo-controversy. It stems from an executive order issued by Perry in 2007 that required all Texas girls to receive Gardasil, a vaccine against the most common strains of human papilloma virus, before entering the sixth grade. However, Texas lawmakers blocked that mandate. Some critics argued that the vaccine was too new to have been confirmed safe, while others said that Perry’s order would preempt parental rights or give girls a false sense of security, possibly causing them to become sexually active at a young age.
Bachmann alluded to the Perry’s executive order mandating the exposure of young girls to a “dangerous” vaccine and tried to distinguish Gardasil from other required pediatric vaccines that prevent infectious diseases. Note to Bachmann: The vaccine, Merck’s Gardasil, prevents infection with the most common strains of human papilloma virus. Once established, these viruses can ultimately cause genital warts as well as cervical, anal, vulvar, and vaginal cancers. Thus, by preventing the infection, the vaccine prevents all those sequelae.
In the extensive clinical studies (on more than 20,000 girls and women) that were performed prior to the FDA’s licensing of the vaccine, the vaccine was 100 per cent effective, a virtually unprecedented result. How safe is the vaccine? No serious side effects were detected; the most common side effect is soreness, redness and swelling in the arm at the site of the injection.
In summary, Gardasil has one of the most favorable risk-benefit ratios of any pharmaceutical.
Having spent 15 years at the FDA and having seen regulation — the good, the bad and the ugly — up close, I am as opposed to anyone (exceptperhaps Ron Paul) to non-essential government intrusion into our lives. But some interventions are good. Among those I would include vaccination against childhood diseases and compulsory use of seat belts and motorcycle helmets.
I am discouraged by politicians who not only don’t know much about science, technology, or medicine (which is perhaps understandable) but also don’t know what they don’t know (which is unacceptable).
Here’s my advice to the presidential hopefuls: If you’re not sure of the facts, keep quiet.
— Henry I. Miller, M.D., is Robert Wesson Fellow in Scientific Philosophy & Public Policy Hoover Institution.
How about the ruling elite political class stop executing mandate/tax increases for the better good.
I just wish we could get a Conservative who did not, in some way, sound like a lunatic.
I think this issue is ridiculous, you aren’t going to convince me with this Perry is not a “real” conservative.
In fact Romney isn’t going to convince me anyone else isn’t a real conservative. Bachman has a better case but we’ll see if she’s viable.
Michelle Bauchmann is turning the GOP debates into a 1st grade school yard rumble. I wish she would go home to Minnesota and figure out what to do with the last 2 years of her 1st Cogressional term.
There is no place to defend this stance..even Perry admitted as much. But you can bet there will be "conservative" nanny staters all over this thread.
That's what all the infernal statists say.
Romney just surged to an all time high on Intrade... can we stop this circling firing squad bs yet?
I do too. But there isn't a conservative going who hasn't at some point lost his mind and espoused something "for the greater good" that involves government control and overreach. Back in the eighties William Buckley was agitating for "mandatory volunteerism." His reasoning was that the draft of World War II had produced a public-spiritedness among that generation of men.
NRO (RINO Central) FOR PerryCARE and RomneyCARE!!!
Who would have believed it? [/s]
I refused to have my daughters administered this med. Just this summer the health department offered it to my youngest again as an option. The nurse said they are giving it to boys too. Maybe it is safe and will be a great thing but what if the side effects are not known for years. STDs are nasty, cancer is nasty but something about this bothers me and so I opted out.
I like Perry even so but he has three things that will be used against him: this Gardisil issue, illegal immigrant tuition, and the imminent domain problem he ran into with the trans-Texas corridor. I have to say he has been leading strong on these issues whether you like them or not.
If you could catch HPV by sneezing or coughing or casual contact there would be some public interest in having kids vaccinated. This is not the case with HPV. I am in the camp of people who are not opposed to the vaccine. However I am NOT on the side of forcing the insurance companies, which are private businesses (or should be) to pay for it if they don’t want to. THIS is what Perry had in mind. He said so.
Weird, since Perry leads Romney by double digits.
There’s always someone out there who wants to tell you want to do with your own body. I don’t care if the idea is the greatest thing since sliced bread. People have sovereignty over themselves.
Here is the bottom line, Earthdweller:
Not one person in Texas was immunized with Gardasil. It was stopped before it went into effect.
Not one person.
Not one “little girl” was put at risk by anything at any time by this unimplemented plan.
I think the only admission or concession Perry has made is that enacting this sort of this should be done by a legislature, not via executive order.
Best I can see, he believes the health benefits direct that government mandate of the HPV vaccine is desirable.
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