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9/25/07 The latest action on HPV vaccine in Wisconsin is the introduction of SB 252 & AB 492 without the mandate. Companion bills were circulated in both houses by Senator Taylor, Wirch, and Representative Hines. The bills require DPI to work with the department of health and family services to collect information about HPV, including the causes and symptoms of the virus, how it is spread, how it may be prevented, how to obtain additional information about the virus, and the availability, effectiveness, and risks of vaccinations against the virus. This information is to be made available to school districts, private schools and charter schools and may be done by posting the information on their internet site. Then beginning with the 2008-09 school year and annually after that, each school board and governing body of each private school and each charter school shall provide the parents and guardians of pupils enrolled in grades 6 to 12 in the school district with this information. This requirement may be satisfied by posting the information on the school district's, private school's or charter school's internet site.
While this proposed legislation is better than the prior proposal to mandate HPV vaccine, it still avoids the truth and raises many questions. The vaccine is only effective against 4 strains of the over 100 strains of HPV. It also does not prevent STDs and sends the wrong message to young people. Wisconsin should be promoting abstinence as the only way to avoid STDs and HPV, but Governor Doyle has refused to participate in abstinence education funding. This vaccine has not received adequate testing, and 3 deaths along with 1,637 reports of adverse reactions have been reported from use of this vaccine. You can read about them in the links below. These proposals include private schools and interfere with parent/child/physician relationships. While preventing cervical cancer is a worth while goal, we should be promoting truth through a change in lifestyle rather than looking for a vaccine to allow young people to lead promiscuous lives. It is also worthy to note that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended that girls age 11 and 12 receive this vaccine. The CDC recommendation helped Merck achieve immunity from lawsuits under the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) which is a public-paid insurance program. This means that Merck is legally blameless for children being injured by mandatory Gardasil vaccines and then the VICP has to compensate them rather than Merck. It was reported in the newspaper in May of this year, according to the Wisconsin Dept of Health and Family Services that 86 of the state's 94 local health departments are offering the vaccine. These shots are being given at greatly reduced costs, which means they are being tax-subsidized by taxpayers. When you take all these issues into consideration, this is not good public policy.
This is no doubt just a stepping stone to mandatory HPV in the future. Sen. Taylor and Rep. Grigsby have both said they would like to see the HPV vaccination mandatory and said they are not done with this agenda yet. Read more and educate yourself to this vaccine. A number of "pro-family" legislators will be put in the place of supporting this because of preventing cervical cancer without regards to the other concerns.
5/24/07 Normally we don't talk about pending legislation until it is officially introduced with a bill number, but there is an issue that you need to be aware of. A bill is near introduction to mandate all girls going into the 6th grade beginning with the 2008-09 school year be vaccinated with the new Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine to prevent cervical cancer. This applies to all public, private, or charter schools. First of all, HPV is a sexually transmitted virus. Those promoting this vaccine are not being honest by saying that HPV infection is spread only by direct sexual intercourse. Most girls entering 6th grade at 11 - 12 years of age are not sexually active and should not be forced to be vaccinated in order to attend school. The Wisconsin bill does provide for a parent to opt out, but parents should choose to 'opt into' such a program rather than be forced to 'opt out.'
All parents and adolescents must understand that receiving this vaccine does not make all sexual activity 'safe' and that the most medically safe sexual conduct for adolescents is abstinence until marriage and they should be counseled accordingly. The American College of Pediatricians is opposed to any legislation which would require HPV vaccination for school attendance. They go on to say, forcing a parent to forsake his/her better judgment and discuss this information with the child would be inappropriate and unnecessarily intrusive. The American College of Pediatricians recommends that parents use the availability of this vaccine to usher in a discussion of human sexuality in a way consistent with their culture and values at a time when they determine their child is ready to receive the information. Parents should closely monitor their children's activities, reinforce their values, and consent to vaccination when appropriate. At that time, physicians should introduce the value of sexual abstinence as the only way to completely eliminate the risks associated with sexual activity.
Merck & Co, the provider of this vaccine is bankrolling efforts to pass state laws requiring this vaccination all across the US. There are at least 18 states considering this legislation to require Merck's Gardasil vaccine for schoolgirls. Merck has funneled money to the Women in Government, which is an advocacy group of female state legislators around the country, and many of the bills being introduced are by members of Women in Government. People who speak for Merck are not saying how much the company is spending on lobbyists of how much money has been donated to Women in Government. It is reported that Merck revenue from Gardasil reached $155 million for the fourth quarter of 2006 and $255 million for the entire year.
The Gardasil vaccine is given in a series of three shots each costing $120 to $150 per injection. Most major insurance companies are or are planning to cover the costs of the vaccine which means it will be passed on to the consumers. The duration of immunity following a complete schedule of immunization with Gardasil has not been established and booster shots may be required. Tests have indicated the shots would only be good for about six years. This is a relative new vaccine that was only approved by the government in late June of 2006.
This is a direct attack on parents' rights and this proposed legislation infringes on those rights. This also infringes on the natural incentive for young girls to abstain from sexual intercourse to avoid contracting sexually transmitted diseases. If girls are entitled to have an abortion at school without parental notification or consent, they certainly are entitled to make their own other health decisions.
February 2, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed an executive order bypassing the legislature and parents and mandated that girls in Texas be vaccinated for HPV before entering the 6th grade starting in September 2008. Gov Perry claims to be a conservative Christian who opposes abortion and embryonic stem cell research, but thinks this is the right thing to do. It is interesting to note that Perry received $6,000 from Merck's political action committee during his re-election campaign. It is also interesting that one of Merck's lobbyists in Texas is Mike Toomey, Perry's former chief of staff. His current chief of staff's mother-in-law, Texas Republican state Representative Dianne White Delisi, is a state director for Women in Government. Are we to believe these are all just coincidences?
The National Vaccine Information Center issued a warning February 2 to state officials to investigate the safety of this vaccine. They say side effects of Gardasil are being reported in the District of Columbia and 20 states. The reactions range from loss of consciousness to seizures. A health policy analyst for the group said, "Young girls are experiencing severe headaches, dizziness, temporary loss of vision and some girls have lost consciousness during what appears to be a seizure.
Go to this site and read more information about Merck and Gardasil www.cogforlife.org/gardasil.htm to educate yourself to this coming mandate. Contact your senator and representative and express your concerns about this invasion of parental rights. Private schools should be especially concerned since this will make them the police to enforce this mandate. As soon as the bill has a number it will be on our website. It has been circulated to all legislators asking them to co-sponsor the legislation and can be referred to as LRB-0421/3.
Support for this proposal has seemed to slow down because of building opposition from individuals, parents, and other interested parties. All parents and private school staff are encouraged not to sit this one out. Contact your legislators and have your voice heard early.
9/14/09 Two Thousand Schoolgirls Suffer Suspected Ill-effects From Cervical Cancer Vaccine
6/23/09 New FDA Records Obtained by Judicial Watch Indicate 28 Deaths Related to Gardasil in 2008
10/10/07 Judicial Watch Uncovers New FDA Records Detailing Deaths in 1,824 Adverse Reaction Reports
10/3/07 National Vaccine Info Center - Gardasil & HPV Infection - Get the Facts
Absurd vaccine marketing calls for cervical cancer vaccinations for young boys
Merck's vaccine tied to 3 deaths STD vaccine campaign sweeping the nation
Top researcher: "Untested" vaccine could harm
Here is a link to 1,637 reports of adverse reactions to Gardasil
Here is a website to track legislation pertaining to HPV vaccine and mandatory legislation
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