I refuse to look a young woman in the eye who suffers from this form of cancer and tell her that we could have stopped it but we didn’t. Others may focus on the cause of this cancer. I stay focused on the cure.
These are the words of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, defending his executive order making Gardasil a mandatory vaccination for young girls going into the sixth grade. Gardasil, produced by Merck, prevents women from contracting HPV, the leading cause of cervical cancer, through sexual contact. Perry’s right-wing base has slammed the governor for requiring the vaccination, because it allegedly strays from Texas’ abstinence-only sex education policy. This — coupled with a $120 per-shot price tag — has many questioning Perry’s motives.
News Hounds points out some of the ties that Perry has with Merck:
Two of Perry’s former chiefs of staff currently work for Merck, and the mother of one of them is involved in lobbying for this … Has Perry just caved in for Merck? … His former c-o-s is being paid $250,000 by Merck to lobby for this, a Texas state legislator (Diane White Delisi) is pushing for it and working with Merck, and her daughter-in-law is the current chief of staff.
I believe that the vaccine is helpful and that girls should receive it. However, Perry’s unilateral approach suggests that he may be pushing a personal agenda. Texas politicos — Republicans and Democrats alike — are urging him to recall the mandate. Republican state senator Kevin Eltife expressed the same thoughts that I have on the matter when he said,
I am not opposed to the state providing funding for those who want the vaccine, but to mandate the vaccine is government interference at its best. This is an issue that should be taken up by the Legislature and fully debated with input from the public. The issue in no way warrants an executive order.
Perry can’t “look a young woman in the eye,” but he can sign an executive order to mandate an unproven medication that’s been on the market for less than a year? His words say he wants what is best for young girls, but his actions say he wants what is best for him.
8 responses so far ↓
1 eDrugSearch Blog » Blog Archive » Merck and insurance companies at cross-purposes over Gardasil // Feb 8, 2007 at 11:46 am
[...] This in the wake of Texas Gov. Rick Perry melodramatically claiming that he “can’t look a young woman in the eye” who contracted cervical cancer because she didn’t have access to Gardasil. If that’s really the case, get off your duff and start fixing our broken healthcare system instead of settling for self-serving photo ops. [...]
2 aly // Feb 16, 2007 at 12:09 pm
students are required to be vaccinated for several diseases, why not cancer? requiring girls to get another shot is not interfering with our civil rights. it’s just protecting us. girls will have sex with or without “permission” from the government. teens have sex every day, sometimes several times a day. why not protect them from things they could contract while doing what they will do either way? they use condoms, take the pill, get a shot. another life saved. i plan to get the shot.
3 Rick San Soucie // Feb 23, 2007 at 1:19 pm
“I refuse to look a young woman in the eye who suffers from this form of cancer and tell her that we could have stopped it but we didn’t. Others may focus on the cause of this cancer. I stay focused on the cure.”
And will he next prohibit all cigarette sales in the state, since this could stop lung cancer?
4 Brytiany // Mar 23, 2008 at 4:41 pm
From someone who has hpv and has just recently been diagnosed with cervical cancer resulting from the virus I wish this vaccine would have been around when I was younger, and mandatory. If it is still around when and if I am able to have children my girls will most definatly get the vaccine mandatory or not. If we have to get vaccinated for Hep. B why not a disease that causes cancer?
5 Sarah // May 26, 2008 at 10:58 pm
I have recently had surgery that helped me defeat cervical cancer from HPV. Had this vaccine been around when i was younger I would have made the choice to have it I’m sure. I suggest it to everyone I know. That being said I can not in good consciousness make a personal medical decision for every girl out there letting my own personal experience cloud my judgment.
There is a lot of information out there regarding the dangers (oh yes the dangers) of vaccines. Once someone is properly educated about the risks at that time they can make a decision… this is not the governments place. It is never the governments place to tell me or anyone else what they MUST do to their bodies.
6 Michael Polidori // Apr 8, 2009 at 6:25 am
Gardasil is a waste of money.
Even if the vaccine were 100% effective against the 2 HPV, there are 9-36 more HPV that cause cervical cancer.
Even if 100% effective ALL women will still have to get medical screenings and many vaccinated will still get cervical cancer.
The CDC FDA ACS and Merck all state that over 90% clear ALL HPV naturally.
If you don’t clear the HPV infection, you have something wrong with your immune system.
If you CAN clear HPV infections you don’t need Gardasil.
If you CANNOT clear HPV infections Gardasil CANNOT help you.
This is such a simple truth.
7 Rob // Sep 1, 2009 at 10:22 pm
This was all so unfortunate, and to this day painted a negative image of the Texas governor in my eyes.
8 Head Gardasil Researcher Says It’s Ineffective and “a Public Health Experiment” | Dailycensored.com // Nov 2, 2009 at 1:05 pm
[...] mandatory for all girls: In Texas, Gov. Rick Perry had tried to order a Gardasil mandate in 2007 (His motives were a bit “Merck-y,”) but was over- ruled by the state legislature. That same year, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson [...]
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