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Wacko
I don't think this guy will get re-elected. Regardless of how good his intentions may or may not be, I just don't agree with this sort of "forced" action.
| quote: | AUSTIN, Texas (AP)--Gov. Rick Perry ordered Friday 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.
The girls will have to get Merck & Co.'s (MRK) new vaccine against strains of
the human papillomavirus, or HPV, that are responsible for most cases of
cervical cancer.
Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass laws in state legislatures across the
country mandating the 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.
Details of the order were not immediately available, but the governor's
office confirmed to The Associated Press that he was signing the order and
would comment Friday afternoon.
Perry has several ties to Merck and Women in Government. One of the drug
company's three lobbyists in Texas is Mike Toomey, his 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.
Toomey was expected to be able to woo conservative legislators concerned
about the requirement stepping on parent's rights and signaling tacit approval
of sexual activity to young girls. Delisi, as head of the House public health
committee, which likely would have considered legislation filed by a Democratic
member, also would have helped ease conservative opposition.
Perry also received $6,000 from Merck's political action committee during his
re-election campaign.
It wasn't immediately clear how long the order would last and whether
legislation is still necessary. However it could have been difficult to muster
support from lawmakers who champion abstinence education and parents' rights.
Perry, a conservative Christian who opposes abortion rights 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 than the one that
protects children against polio.
"If there are diseases in our society that are going to cost us large amounts
of money, it just makes good economic sense, not to mention the health and well
being of these individuals to have those vaccines available," he said.
Texas allows parents to opt out of inoculations by filing an affidavit
stating that he or she objected to the vaccine for religious or philosophical
reasons.
Even with such provisions, however, conservative groups say mandates take
away parents' rights to be the primary medical decision-maker for their
children.
The federal government approved Gardasil in June, and a government advisory
panel has recommended that all girls get the shots at 11 and 12, before they
are likely to be sexually active.
The New Jersey-based drug company could generate billions in sales if
Gardasil - at $360 for the three-shot regimen - were made mandatory across the
country. Most insurance companies now cover the vaccine, which has been shown
to have no serious side effects.
Merck spokeswoman Janet Skidmore would not say how much the company is
spending on lobbyists or how much it has donated to Women in Government. Susan
Crosby, the group's president, also declined to specify how much the drug
company gave.
A top official from Merck's vaccine division sits on Women in Government's
business council, and many of the bills around the country have been introduced
by members of Women in Government.
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