It would seem the state of Texas' children have now become the new guinea pigs for the pharmaceutical company Merck. In a gross overstepping of his power, by way of Executive Order, the governor of Texas, Rick Perry, has mandated that all female children attending public schools --ages 9 and up-- will now have to be vaccinated with a highly controversial (fast-tracked through FDA, long list of possible adverse side effects, and questionable effectiveness), starting at age 9, in order to attend public schools. This mandate is scheduled to go into effect beginning in 2008, unless the Texas legislature can find a way to stop it.
[Update: JUST HEARD THAT THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE WILL VOTE THIS UPCOMING, MONDAY, FEB. 19, ON A BILL TO BLOCK GOVERNOR PERRY'S EXECUTIVE ORDER. IF YOU LIVE IN TEXAS: CONTACT YOUR TEXAS LEGISLATURE REP. AND SENATOR AND LET THEM KNOW HOW YOU FEEL! Here is the link to find your legislatures: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/]
Seriously, since when is a young girl's reproductive health a cause for alarm as a public health risk? And how does a parent's choice to say "no" to this vaccine put the general public at risk?
Also FYI: the company Merck even admits in its own add --by way of a speedy footnote at the close of its advertisement-- that not all women who contract HPV will end up with cervical cancer and more importantly, that their vaccine does not prevent all forms of HPV. To me, the latter alone is grounds enough to give parents the right to choose whether or not to have their daughters vaccinated with a relatively new/unknown drug and at such a very young age. Now, I'm not knocking this vaccine's future/possible potential, but I am adamantly opposed to the idea of a parent's right to choose being revoked at this early stage in the manufacturing release of a new and here-to-fore untested (i.e., lacking years of reliable research data).
Will your state be next?
Interestingly enough, Merck just happens to be the company responsible for the drug Viox, which has killed a number of people and made thousands of others seriously ill. Could it be that Merck now finds itself facing a potential bankruptcy unless it is able to find, releases and successful market another product with the potential to pull it back from the brink of insolvency?
Please feel free to leave your own personal opinion, below in a comment. I sam incerely interested in hearing other parent's opinions and concerns.
1 comment:
HPV, the human papillomavirus, is the most prevalent STD in the United States. By age 50, at least 80 percent of women will have acquired genital HPV infection. About 6.2 million Americans get a new genital HPV infection each year. HPV is known to cause cervical cancer in women. Requiring all 9-year-old girls to get vaccinated against it is a brillant first step toward erradicating this disease. Any potential side-effects will be over-shadowed by the enormous benefits this vaccine will provide the women and girls that receive it. According to the Centers for Disease Control, "This vaccine has been tested in over 11,000 females (ages 9-26 years) around the world. These studies have shown no serious side effects. The most common side effect is soreness at the injection site. CDC, working with the FDA, will continue to monitor the safety of the vaccine after it is in general use."
Post a Comment