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Here we go folks. SB 07-080 is headed to Senate Appropriations and then the Senate Floor very soon. Five Democrats already voted to mandate that your 11 or 12 year old daughter get a vaccine for a sexually transmitted virus, HPV, which got the bill out of the Senate Health Committee. Four Republicans voted against it. The Governor of Texas recently bypassed the entire legislature and made it mandatory with no public hearing, no input, no poll of public opinion, just his infinite wisdom. Gardasil, the vaccine about to be mandated here in Colorado, is a relatively new vaccine just licensed last year. Clinical trials included less than 2,000 young girls and the time they were followed after the vaccine is unclear. What is clear, is that those who received a placebo didn't receive just saline. They received high amounts of aluminum. The three dose vaccine series contains 675 micrograms of aluminum which is known to kill neurons, has not been studied for safety, and has been associated with Parkinson's, ALS, and Alzheimer's. No wonder there have been 82 reports of adverse events already to VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System), many of them neurological and over 60% of them within 24 hours of the vaccine. More than 60% of recipients of both Gardasil and the aluminum containing placebo (an oxymoron in my opinion) reported adverse events during clinical trials. Maybe it's just me, but this isn't good enough for my child. A placebo shouldn't contain aluminum. Gardasil covers 4 of the 15 strains of HPV that have been associated with cervical cancer. Duration of immunity is unknown. It is still recommended that anyone sexually active have routine pap smears whether they have had Gardasil or not. The vaccine series will cost anywhere from $360 to $900. More than 50% of all sexually active people will contract HPV at some time in their lives. Most people will clear the virus from their system with no symptoms. HPV associated cervical cancer has declined 74% in the US due to routine pap smears and nearly all cases of cervical cancer can be prevented with routine pap smears and early treatment. So what's behind this? Do we have an HPV epidemic? No. Merck, the maker of Gardasil, has been spending a lot of money to get HPV mandating bills introduced across the country. They have given an undisclosed amount of money to the organization Women In Government. It just so happens that one of the sponsors of SB 07-080, Suzanne Williams, is a member of Women in Government. Merck stands to make an estimated $1 billion per year from the sale of Gardasil. Senator Betty Boyd voted for the bill in Senate Health and is also a member of Women in Government. Maryland's sponsor did the right thing and pulled her bill off the table. She is also a member of Women in Government. The bottom line is this. Is it government's role to tell you that your child needs a vaccine for a sexually transmitted virus? What if you aren't ready to have that conversation with your child when they are 11 or 12? The vaccine is available. Those who want it can get it. Really, they can. Even if they can't afford it. Due to the fact that it has been recommended by the CDC, it automatically goes on the Vaccines for Children list and is paid for by tax money. The government should stay out of this one and let parents make their own decisions regarding the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases in their children. Yes, Colorado has a philosophical exemption and the bill offers an opt out so long as your child has received educational materials, but we all know how that works. Opt out, schmopt out. No one ever tells you that you have rights. Not a day goes by that a parent doesn't say to me "but you have to vaccinate your child for school, right?" Wrong. You shouldn't have to opt out. The government should just stay out of the business of mandating medicine and lining the pockets of Big Pharma. Period. What can you do? Call or write Representative Kathleen Curry and Senator Gail Schwartz and let them know how you feel about this bill. Visit http://www.hapihealth.com and http://www.nvic.org for more information on this vaccine. Sincerely, Dawn Winkler-Kinateder Executive Director Health Advocacy in the Public Interest (HAPI) http://www.hapihealth.com |
