A recent study by the Journal of the American Medical Association has found some disturbing information about the prevalance of human papillomavirus (HPV) which can cause cervical cancer. The results, conducted only on women though the virus affects men as well, released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that over 25% of American women have the virus and, within the black community, almost FORTY percent of black women have HPV. In fact, 75% of us will contract HPV in our lifetime. Of the two types of HPV which cause 70% of cervical cancers, 3 million - MILLION American women carry one of the two viruses.
Age
%
Race
%
Marital status
%
14-19
24.5
Non-Hispanic white
24.2
Married
17.3
20-24
44.8
Non-Hispanic black
39.2
Widowed, divorced, separated
41.2
25-29
27.4
Mexican-American
24.3
Never married
31.1
30-39
27.5
Living with partner
46.1
40-49
25.2
50-59
19.6
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association
And my initial celebration and excitement has now turned into digust and dismay.
What should been in my humble opinion a victory of science and women's health rights over repressive and dangerous fundamentalism became insteada mucked up discussion about motives and parental rights.
And hold on! I know many of you are concerned about those motives and rights. I am actually with you guys on that now and my disgust is not targeted at any of you or your legitimate concerns.
It is Rick Perry who I am thoroughly disgusted with. By accepting money from the vaccine's manufacturer (Merck), by "mandating" the vaccine, by simply associating HPV with his untrustworthy name, the deservedly unpopular Perry managed to do the unthinkable and put progressives and the religious reicht on the same side and thoroughly against him and the vaccine order.
You've probably already read that Merck has suspended it's Gardisil lobbying efforts. Per the FW Star-Telegram:
The pharmaceutical giant whose vaccine to prevent the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer unleashed controversy in Texas announced Tuesday that it is ending its nationwide lobbying effort to have states mandate that girls be given the serum before entering the sixth grade. [...]
An executive for Merck, the sole maker of the vaccine marketed as Gardasil, told The Associated Press that controversies like the one raging in the Texas Legislature had moved the spotlight away from the company's goal of protecting women from a potentially fatal disease.
I think that most of us would agree that Perry's executive order was most likely unconstitutional. But I'd also propose that this controversy will result in unintended consequences that will be good for public health in Texas.
Rick Perry's controversial order which mandated the HPV vaccine be given to all Texas sixth-graders is going down in flames it appears as the Texas House Public Health Committee prepares to hold public meetings next week to determine if it should support the HPV order or support a bill by Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, to overturn Perry's order. And it looks like the committee is going to vote Perry down:
HB1098 by Rep. Dennis Bonnen would overturn the governor's order while another bill, HB1397, by Democrat Joe Deshotel of Beaumont would require the state's Health Services to develop a public education plan about HPV.
We broke this story last week and I'm glad to see the order personally. There are many legitimate concerns regarding the drug's safety, the logistics and cost of the order, and of course Perry's real motivations.
However, it is important that the religious reicht not be allowed to hold up vital medical procedures for women. Women deserve to have a choice.
Wow! Texas just became the first state to order all its school-aged girls to get the controversial HPV vaccine. Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a common cause of STDs and can lead to cervical cancer and other gynecological cancers.
But why is it controversial? It's not except that some conservative groups believe girls with the vaccine will have more sex. That's right. These groups would rather expose young girls to HPV-related cancers than give them a vaccine that could save their lives.
So did Perry, who plays often to his anti-abortionist and religiously extreme base, suddenly grow some brains and a heart? Nope. Perry reasons for signing this executive order had nothing to his concern for "the safety and welfare of our children." The reason - the only reason - is that Merck, the maker of the vaccine, gave Perry alot of money and lobbied him hard.
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. Perry also received $6,000 from Merck's political action committee during his re-election campaign.
And just in case, you needed a reminder that it wasn't his heart that changed but his bank account, here's a photo of Rick Perry at another signing. It was at a church, where he signed an Anti-abortion bill. It was at the same signing that he told gays to find some other state to live in.
So, it wasn't safety or intelligence that won. It was money. However, at least this time, young women and girls of Texas won't be losing to the political pressure of the religious reicht and the politicians who kiss up to them.
