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In response to the Executive Order requiring HPV vaccination for Texas schoolgirls, legislation has been proposed in the state that would prohibit HPV vaccination status from being used as a condition for public school enrollment. Other legislators are expressing concern that the issue wasn’t properly reviewed and asking the Governor to rescind the order, as evidenced in this Dallas News piece – ” State Sen. Jane Nelson (R), chairwoman of the Senate’s health and human services committee, said lawmakers should have been allowed to hear from doctors, scientists and patients before the state implemented such a sweeping mandate. ‘This is not an emergency,’ said Ms. Nelson, R-Grapevine. ‘It needs to be discussed and debated.’”

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The HPV vaccine from Merck continues to make the news and inspire debate. The Nation published “Who’s Afraid of Gardasil?” online ahead of the March 26 print issue in which it will appear. The piece indicates that as many as 31 state legislatures are considering requiring the vaccine, and estimates that Merck stands to make $4 billion per year on the product. Concerns about the role of Merck’s political contributions in influencing legislators and the Women in Government group who have supported the vaccine push are described, as is the problem that Merck’s swift push to require the vaccine has generated controversy and opposition where a slower, more measured approach might have had more success.

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Okay, people, you really have to stop it with the “HPV vaccines will turn girls into sluts” argument. I’m serious. My brain might just explode. Today’s Tennessean (Nashville’s newspaper of dubious quality) has an article, “State official doesn’t back mandated HPV vaccine.” As you may know, mandating the vaccine for school entry (with generous opt-out provisions) is under consideration or has been enacted in several locales. Tennessee’s Commissioner of Health, Susan Cooper, reportedly stated, “Do I think every female child should be protected against cervical cancer? If there’s a way to do it, yes. Do I think we know enough about the long-term outcomes of this vaccine to say we ought to mandate it today? Maybe not.” This is a common concern about the vaccine (see my concerns about Texas’s mandatory vaccination proposal). You want to further examine the science and the money and the implications, fine, good idea.

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First of all, I’d like to welcome new readers who have come here for information on the Texas HPV vaccine law. I hope you’ll stick around. A few of you have made comments which have caused me to want to clarify my stance on the vaccine, as you have made very good points which I did not yet cover adequately. I have five main points of concern regarding the Merck vaccine and making it mandatory (even with opt out provisions):

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A bill introduced into the Tennessee State Legislature (HB1580/SB1958) and discussed this week would take away the power of the Commissioner of Health to require vaccines for sexually transmitted diseases and give that power to the General Assembly. The existing code (49-6-5001(a)) reads:

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From Katie Allison Granju, Will Ferrell did his part to reduce breastfeeding stigma by carrying his wife’s breast pump to the Golden Globes.

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The Washington Post is reporting that Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine will sign legislation requiring the state’s 6th-grade girls to receive the HPV vaccine. The bill passed the VA House 80-17, and unanimously passed in the VA Senate on the 3rd reading. The legislation updates existing vaccination requirements, adding to the list of required vaccinations the language, “12. Three doses of properly spaced human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for females. The first dose shall be administered before the child enters the sixth grade.”

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Standard Intro: Although Women’s Health News has moved, I’ll add a post here now and again to let you know what has been added to the new site. Click on over and join us at the new place.

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Texas has passed legislation to require all girls ages 11-12 to receive the HPV vaccine before entering 6th grade. Some have responded to this by claiming that the government is taking control away from parents, and that this is simply a money-making venture for Merck, producer of the Gardasil vaccine, the only currently approved HPV vaccine. Merck certainly has a financial interest in having as many girls as possible vaccinated, and this New York Times article suggests the company is actively lobbying state legislatures to require vaccination. However, the executive order signed by the TX Governor makes no specific mention of Merck; it refers only to “HPV vaccine.” When other companies get their vaccines (which are already in development) approved, Texas parents and doctors would be able to choose among them. Likewise, parents may opt out of the program on behalf of their children, by this provision: “The Department of State Health Services will, in order to protect the right of parents to be the final authority on their children’s health care, modify the current process in order to allow parents to submit a request for a conscientious objection affidavit form via the Internet while maintaining privacy safeguards under current law.” I can understand the concerns about the vaccine from a long-term effects standpoint (it’s a new vaccine) – that, to me, would be the primary concern, along with keeping an eye on the company’s lobbying efforts. However, “taking control away from parents” hysteria is a bit overblown, as parents clearly have a provision for opting out and not vaccinating their children, which is not restricted to religious reasons. The parents may simply have to be informed of risks and benefits before making the decision, and I don’t think that’s such a bad thing.

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