POLITICS PLAYED BY MERCK??!!

Last updated on: February 9, 2007 at 9:51 pm by Ryan Hoselton

POLITICS PLAYED BY MERCK??!! 2007-02-09T21:51:31-06:00 Ryan Hoselton

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The shocking order that Texas Governor Rick Perry issued last week, making

his state the first in the union to mandate that all girls entering sixth
grade receive a vaccine that protects against certain strains of the human
papillomavirus (HPV).

But in addition to travesty, sham, and mockery, let’s add the word
“generous,” because Gov. Perry’s order turns out to be a very generous gift
to…the people of Texas? No. Not even close. It’s a generous gift to
Merck, the maker of the vaccine.

——————————————–
Easy to avoid
——————————————–

Gardasil is the name of the vaccine, and it’s been shown to be very
effective against HPV strains that cause the majority of cervical
cancers.

Seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? And that’s exactly what the TV ads for
Gardasil would have you believe. Give a girl the vaccine when she’s young
and not yet sexually active, and you’ll sharply reduce the chances that
she’ll pick up the sexually transmitted HPV.

But it’s one thing for a parent to decide to have their daughter
vaccinated, and it’s quite another to have that decision MANDATED by the
government. And here are three reasons why:

1) When women have annual gynecological exams, HPV is easily detected and
treated. So it’s not as if every woman is at risk for this cancer – only
those who neglect to schedule regular exams.

2) Each vaccine costs $360, which will quickly add up to millions, paid for
by insurance companies or by the state of Texas in cases where young girls
are not insured.

3) The possible long-term side effects of Gardasil are not yet known.

——————————————–
All tied up
——————————————–

So given the unknown long-term side effects, the exorbitant cost of
Gardasil, and the fact that HPV cervical cancer is easily avoided, why
would Gov. Perry mandate that every female sixth-grader in Texas receive
the vaccine? And why would he do it in such a way that would completely
bypass the Texas Legislature (overriding debate and oversight)?

Could the ties that Gov. Perry has with Merck have a little something to do
with it?

According to the Associated Press, Merck’s political action committee
donated $6,000 to Gov. Perry’s recent campaign for re-election. But that’s
just part of the picture. An advocacy group called Women in Government is
heading up the effort to persuade state legislatures across the country to
make Gardasil vaccinations mandatory, and Merck is funding the Women in
Government efforts.

This is where it all gets more than a little sticky for Gov. Perry. The AP
reports that his former chief of staff is a Texas lobbyist for Merck, and
the mother-in-law of Perry’s current chief of staff is a state director for
Women in Government.

——————————————–
Texas hotline
——————————————–

I don’t know about you, but I find all of this infuriating. It’s bad enough
that this unnecessary vaccine will be mandatory in Texas. But the fact that
Gov. Perry seems to have Merck’s best interests in mind – at the expense of
his Texas constituents – is intolerable.

According to the AP, the Texas Legislature cannot repeal Gov. Perry’s
order, so it will be in effect until the governor or his successor changes
it. Nevertheless, I’ve already written an e-mail to the Governor’s office
(and I hope you will too) at this address:
[email protected]. You can also call the Citizen’s Opinion
Hotline at 800-252-9600 (for Texas residents), or 512-463-1782 (for
out-of-state callers).

But that’s just a start.

If you know a parent of a young girl in Texas, I’m sure they’ve heard all
about this controversy. What they may not have heard, however, is that
parents in Texas can avoid any mandatory vaccine by asking their doctor how
to file an affidavit stating that they object to the vaccine.

And finally, you can contact the legislature in your state to voice your
opinion about Merck’s efforts to make Gardasil a mandatory vaccine. On the
web site for Women in Government (womeningovernment.org) you’ll find a U.S.
map that details the status of the Merck initiative in your state.

Politics

Previous Post

February 9, 2007

Exxon Finally Acknowledges Global Warming!

Next Post

February 9, 2007 Micro waved water - a MUST read

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Aarti Achievement and Leadership AfPak Africa Annual and Year-end Asia Audio Australia Behavioural Sciences Bhagwad Gita Bhagwad Gita Blogging Blogs Business Business Intelligence Business Strategy Cannes Careers Chanakya China Conservation Corruption Creative Daily Links Desh Poems Development & Welfare Devotional Audio Devotional Songs Drama Earth Economics Education Entertainment Environment Europe Everyday Quotes Featured Articles Featured Songs Finance Flickr Pictures Food Geo-Political Global Warming Globalization Health & Medicine Hinduism Historic History Humour India Indian Culture Indian music Indian Weddings Israel Issues Legal Link Love Minorities Misc Motivation and Personal Development Movie Lists Movie Reviews Movies Mumbai terror attacks Natural Disasters Nature News Outsourcing Pakistan Parenting Personal Philosophy Poetry Politics Poverty Quotes Recipe Regular Blog Post Relationships Religion Religious/Spiritual Audio Sciences Showcase Slideshow South Asia Special Stories Spiritual Quotes Spirituality Sports Stories Strategy Technology Technology Terrorism Travel Uncategorized US Video Women Women_s Rights Worship Yoga

Select a Month December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 June 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 September 2014 August 2014 January 2014 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

According to Jesus, what should you do when you pray?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Only pray at church Pray loudly for show Pray in secret Pray once a year