Kinky Friedman lost the Texas gubernatorial election last November, but Governor Perry has implemented an
executive order that sounds like a Kinky Friedman idea. It requires an immunization for
some sexually transmitted diseases -- for girls entering the sixth grade. The governor
has made a number of incorrect assumptions, most of which are pointed out in the articles
below. But above all, the Governor presumes that the state can usurp the authority of
parents, just because the kids are enrolled in public schools.
Gardasil Shows Why
Government Health Care is Dangerous. Gardasil has to be the perfect drug for the brave new
world of ObamaCare, in a 1984 kind of way. Made by Merck & Co., it was approved in 2006 for
use against venereal disease in young girls. Here's why it's so culturally suited for hope and
change — and such a perfect example of why you don't want the government in your medicine chest.
Schoolgirl
dies after receiving cervical cancer vaccine. A British schoolgirl has died after receiving the cervical
cancer vaccine Cervarix, health officials said. Public health officials and the British-based maker of the vaccine,
GlaxoSmithKline, said the cause of the 14-year-old's death was as yet unknown.
Complications arise from HPV vaccine.
As of May 31, 2007, there have been 13 cases of Guillain Barr's syndrome (GBS) in association with the HPV
vaccine (Gardasil) reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Guillain-Barre
syndrome is a serious disorder that occurs when the body's defense (immune) system mistakenly attacks part of
the nervous system.
The HPV Vaccine: Government Mandates and Parental
Rights. Parents believe they have the right to decide what medical treatments are best for their children.
But state lawmakers think otherwise because of a disease that has become both a feminist and a public health cause celebre.
Across America lawmakers want to compel young girls to be inoculated against human papillomavirus (HPV) years before most become
sexually active because there is a chance it can cause cervical cancer. Is replacing parental judgment with mandates
by lawmakers and courts good for society?
Texas won't make cancer
vaccine mandatory. Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday [5/8/2007] said he won't veto a bill that would
block state officials from following his order that all sixth-grade girls be vaccinated against a virus
that causes cervical cancer.
Texas Showdown on HPV
Vaccine Order. Texas lawmakers rejected Gov. Rick Perry's anti-cancer vaccine order Wednesday
[4/25/2007], sending him a bill that blocks state officials from requiring the shots for at least four years.
Perry has said he is disappointed but has not indicated whether he will veto the bill. He has 10 days
to sign or veto it, or the proposal will become law without his signature.
Don't Mandate HPV Vaccine — Trust
Parents. It's no wonder that Merck wants the vaccine distributed as widely as possible. The
company lost about $2.5 billion in annual revenues from the withdrawal of the painkiller Vioxx, and must
set aside billions more to settle lawsuits over the drug. Merck also has a limited window of time to
exploit their current monopoly — competitor GlaxoSmithKline is also preparing an HPV vaccine for
the market.
Texas Governor Mandates Cancer Vaccine
for Girls. Gov. Rick Perry ordered Friday [2/2/2007] 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. … Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass laws in state legislatures across the country mandating it.
The HPV Vaccine and School Mandates FAQ.
Gardasil's Dangers, Limitations Are Reported.
Gardasil, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine that several state legislatures are considering mandating girls
must receive to attend school, may be more dangerous than consumers have been led to believe, a public-interest
group reported in late May. After obtaining information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
through a Freedom of Information Act request, Washington, DC-based Judicial Watch reported 1,637 adverse events
involving Gardasil, including three deaths related to the vaccine.
Texas governor defends
vaccine order. Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday angrily defended his relationship with Merck & Co.
and his executive order requiring that schoolgirls receive the drugmaker's vaccine against the sexually transmitted
cervical-cancer virus. The Associated Press reported Wednesday [2/21/2007] that Perry's chief of staff had
met with key aides about the vaccine on Oct. 16, the same day Merck's political action committee donated
$5,000 to the governor's campaign.
A Merck-y Business.
The benefits seem clear. FDA-approved for females age 9 to 26, the vaccine has been shown to be
100 percent effective at preventing disease from the two HPV strains that account for 70 percent of
all cervical cancers. ... So what's not to like? Plenty. One argument is that a mandate removes
parental authority. Which it does, but so do all mandatory vaccinations. The difference here is
that while Perry claims the HPV vaccine is no different from the polio vaccine, polio is transmitted through
the breath, while HPV is transmitted by sexual intercourse.
Vaccine
mandate explains our out-of-control health system. A few days ago, pharmaceutical giant Merck
announced that it was pulling the plug on its nationwide lobbying campaign to get state legislatures to mandate
that preteen schoolgirls receive its vaccine, Gardasil. … Company officials stopped the campaign because
of a nationwide backlash fueled by concerns that it is premature to mandate a new vaccine that has many
unresolved questions regarding efficacy and safety; and that, in any event, it should not be mandated because
the virus is transmitted through sex and not through casual contact, and that parental rights were being violated.
Governor
Rick Perry's Executive Order Raises Many Questions. Most pro-family groups oppose the vaccine
mandate because they believe it seriously violates parental rights by usurping the authority of parents to
decide with their child's doctor the best course to take. No one knows the long-term effects of the
vaccine. The day before Gov. Perry issued the order, the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) issued
a press release warning of the vaccine's side effects. … Most Texans are extremely disappointed that
Gov. Perry bypassed the normal democratic procedure, which would have included legislative hearings and
allowed time for leaders and the public to learn more about the vaccine.
Public schools: Parental rights in jeopardy.
One of the latest developments in public education is that schools believe they are the de facto
parents of the children who attend them. With so many children living with only one parent or two parents
who work, with who knows who looking after them, it is no wonder. Now some States are trying to require
girls entering the sixth grade to be immunized against something called HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), a virus
that only can be transmitted through sex and which causes certain kinds of cancer. What does that say
about our public schools and about the state of our culture?
Doctors say Perry's vaccine mandate for
girls is premature. Gov. Rick Perry's order requiring schoolgirls to get inoculated against a
sexually transmitted virus linked to cervical cancer may be unpopular with social conservatives, but another
important group also is lining up against it: doctors. From, among others, the Texas Medical
Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, many doctors are saying it's too early to mandate the
vaccine, which was approved for use last June.
Texas Requires Cancer Vaccine for
Girls. Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass laws in state legislatures across the country
mandating its 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.
Is the Texas Governor subjecting children
to a questionable vaccine? In the short time we have been residents of Lockhart, one of the most
beautiful things we have noticed about families here is the respect that children have for their parents and
adults in general. Young people are courteous and well-mannered, and comport themselves with modesty and
aplomb. What a shock yesterday to learn that Gov. Perry has insulted these precious children by mandating
a medical procedure that presumes the young girls of Texas to be sluts.
The
Perverse Politics of Gardasil. A vaccine that prevents cervical cancer sounds great. But
this is a free country. Remember? Unless there is a compelling reason to use government to mandate,
Soviet-style, use of a particular product, then medicines, like all products, should be sold on the free
market. Consumers can buy them if they want them. Not only is there no reason to mandate the
use of Gardasil, but the reasoning being used to justify its mandated use is perverse. Among the
destructive consequences will be that girls who are most at risk, those who are poor, usually minorities,
will be hurt more than helped.
Human papillomavirus: The fact
that prostitutes have much higher rates of cervical cancer than nuns was a key early observation leading
researchers to speculate about a causal link between sexually transmitted HPVs and cervical cancer. It
remains clear that people with greater numbers of sexual partners are at increased risk of developing genital
HPV-related diseases.
Governor Perry's HPV vaccination order
angers profamily group. Perry's office contacted Texas Eagle Forum president Cathie
Adams … and urged her to support the vaccination requirement, but she vowed to do everything in
her power to defeat it. Adams explains her refusal. "He's replacing parents' rights with
state's rights," she comments. "He's also usurping the authority of the State Legislature."
And there's more, says the Texas Eagle Forum leader. "We have a strong voice that has already said
this is not a good vaccine for little girls," she says; "it's the American College of Pediatricians, who
strongly opposes requiring students to have the HPV vaccine."
26 Senators ask Perry to Rescind HPV Order.
Senator Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) has collected the signatures of 26 Senators on a letter respectfully
requesting that Gov. Rick Perry pull down his executive order requiring immunization for the Human
Papillomavirus (HPV) for girls before they enter the sixth grade. A copy of the letter is
posted here, with signatures.
Perry's
vaccine order saves lives, but at high price. Is Perry's order politically motivated?
No one knows. But, USA Today has reported today that Perry has several ties to Merck, the
maker of the HPV vaccine, and Women in Government, a not-for-profit organization comprised of state woman
regulators, which some watchdog has claimed is too cozy with Merck.
NBC and the Cancer
Vaccine that Isn't. NBC dismissed the viewpoint of opponents of Perry's decision who believe
mandating vaccination for HPV will lead to increased promiscuity. People with concerns about morality
were lumped in with other critics who claim Perry is in Merck's pocket because the company contributed to his
election campaign.
Forced vaccination without
representation. Merck & Co., the huge drug company, hit the jackpot. Sure,
it's the spreading nanny government and -- surprise, surprise, it's fueled by money! ... Texas
Gov. Rick Perry signed an executive order Feb. 2, requiring all girls entering 6th grade in
Texas be vaccinated against some of the viruses that cause cervical cancer. The vaccine in question
is new, approved by the FDA on June 8, 2006 and added to the regular childhood immunization schedule
on June 29. Talk about fast track!
Lawmakers Call On Perry To Rescind
Vaccine Order. Some Texas lawmakers are scrambling, looking for ways to undo Gov. Rick Perry's
order on a new vaccine for school children. The executive order requires Texas school girls to be
vaccinated with Merck's new drug, Gardasil. Now lawmakers are questioning his motives and bringing
up new safety concerns. "This vaccine is not proven," said State Rep. Charlie Howard,
D-District 26. "We don't know the long-term effects."
Gov.
Perry, rescind vaccine order now. Gov. Rick Perry, you should listen closely to Sen. Jane Nelson,
your close ally and chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. She and many others wisely
point out that you erred in signing an order requiring sixth-grade girls in Texas to get a new vaccine that
protects against four strains of the virus that causes cervical cancer.
Facts Behind Merck's Mandatory
Vaccine Campaign to Help Pay for Vioxx. On Friday [2/2/2007], Texas Republican governor Rick Perry
issued a mandatory executive order to force all Texas girls to be vaccinated with Gardasil, completely
bypassing Texas' legislative process, overriding parental authority, and ignoring the ethical issues raised by
a vaccine for a sexually transmitted disease. ... If one looks beneath the surface, Merck's strong-arm marketing
tactics are really a "Do or Die" effort to finance its huge Vioxx litigation costs.
Texas Gov. Urged Against Cancer Order.
Lawmakers should have been allowed to hear from doctors, scientists and patients before the state implemented
such a sweeping mandate, said state Sen. Jane Nelson, chairwoman of the health and human services committee.
"This is not an emergency," said Nelson, adding that she plans to ask Attorney General Greg Abbott for an opinion
on the legality of Perry's order. "It needs to be discussed and debated."
Florida Moving Toward Mandatory HPV
Vaccine? Earlier in February, the issue was thrust into the national media when Texas Governor
Rick Perry issued an executive order mandating the vaccine, though lawmakers are attempting to override that
order. Some simply object to the government stepping in and taking over what ought to be a parent's right
to decide what is best for his or her child. Others believe that the vaccine will lead to increased
callousness toward pre- and extra-marital sex, thereby increasing promiscuity.
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