February 2, 2007
State Is First To Require Anti-Cancer Vaccinations For
Schoolgirls (CBSNews) Bypassing the Legislature,
Republican Gov. Rick Perry signed an order Friday making Texas
the first state to require that schoolgirls get vaccinated against
the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.
By issuing an executive order, Perry apparently sidesteps opposition
in the Legislature from conservatives and parents' rights groups
who fear such a requirement would condone premarital sex and
interfere with the way parents raise their children.
Beginning in September 2008, girls entering the sixth grade
— meaning, generally, girls ages 11 and 12 — will have to get
Gardasil, Merck & Co.'s new vaccine against strains of the
human papillomavirus, or HPV.
Millions of Americans have seen the ad blitz for Gardasil. The
vaccine promises to reduce the number of HPV related cervical
cancers by more than 70 percent, CBS News correspondent Cynthia
Bowers reports.
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
in announcing the order.
"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.
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 several 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.
Perry also received $6,000 from Merck's political action committee
during his re-election campaign.
Texas allows parents to opt out of inoculations by filing an
affidavit objecting to the vaccine 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.
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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