Health Freedoms Smashed: Texas VS Gardasil
At this point in time, Texas Governor Rick Perry has just about everyone enraged at him after submitting an executive order that mandates that all girls entering the sixth grade, starting in September of 2008, be vaccinated with a new drug that is purported to protect against human papillomavirus (HPV) infections and cervical cancer. Folks, not only is this bad politics, but it also very bad science. As I set out to examine all the ins and outs of this issue, I was appalled at what the facts reveal. Think it's not a problem for you if you don't live in Texas? Think again. This incident is the beginning stages of a trend that leads towards a loss of our constitutional rights to make health and other decisions based on what we believe is best for our own wellbeing and that of our children. As elected officials are poised to submit our little girls to the dangers of an unnecessary and questionably dangerous vaccine, we must ask ourselves why. Sure, you do have the right to opt-out of the vaccine for your daughters—for now. But what if officials decide down the road that opting out is not in the best interest of the general public and decide to revoke that option? I'm deeply concerned that if we give in to this, it will only open the door to a greater loss of freedoms in the future. If we give them an inch, it will only make it easier for them to take the proverbial mile later on. Is forcing Gardasil vaccines a quality decision that is done to protect the health of the people of Texas, or are there factors that point to a conspiracy rift with conflicts of interest? Let's take a look at the facts, and then you can decide for your selves:
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Putting aside Gov. Perry for a moment, who manufactured this vaccine, and who approved its use for 9-26 year old girls? The manufacturer is Merck, the same company involved in the recent Vioxx debacle. The FDA was accused of ignoring evidence that Vioxx was dangerous to cardiac patients, and despite thousands of yet unresolved lawsuits regarding Vioxx, no meaningful changes have been made at the FDA. Despite all this, Gardasil received fast track approval from the FDA, and another similar vaccine from the drug-maker Glaxo (Cervarix) is due to be approved soon.
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All of the human studies on HPV vaccines were funded or performed by the drug manufacturers. Only 1200 girls under the age of 16 were involved in the studies, and if Merck has its way, the vaccine will be administered to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of girls across the country. Oh, and by the way, in order to even get access to these studies, one must file a Freedom of Information Act request. What are they trying to hide?
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Is Merck leaving this huge market to chance? Not at all. They have been actively lobbying states throughout the nation for passage of similar laws that mandate the vaccine, coupled with a massive media blitz pushing the benefits of the vaccine. Profits in the tens of millions are at stake for Merck. Perhaps they are a little nervous because before Texas, mandated HPV vaccinations were defeated in three other states. Even though Merck recently suspended its lobbying campaign that would require the three-dose vaccine for school attendance, the people of Texas and the United States should hold Merck totally responsible for any harm that these girls may experience now or in the future. For much too long now, the American public has been used as the pharmaceutical giant’s guinea pigs and now they want our children. We better wake up, stand up and not forget!
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Here's a smoking gun for you: A man named Mike Toomey is a Merck lobbyist in the state of Texas. He used to be Gov. Perry's chief of staff. Incidentally, Merck contributed $6000 towards Perry's 2006 re-election campaign through a political action committee.
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One would assume that in order to justify mandated vaccines for Jr. High girls, a cervical cancer crisis would be in order. Not so. The facts are that between 1955 and 1992, cervical cancer deaths in the U.S. dropped by 74%, and they are continuing to drop at about 4% annually. Another interesting fact is that cervical cancer is rare in women under the age of 20, and statistically only 3-4 cases per year are found in every 100,000 females in the 9-26 year old age group. Does it make sense to vaccinate pre-teens (or anyone, for that matter) based on this information?
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Is the vaccine safe? Who knows? It has only been on the market for less than a year. Many questions remain. But from what we know of the dangers of vaccines in general, the outlook is not good. Even Merck states on the insert accompanying the vaccine package that it has not been tested to determine if the vaccine itself can cause cancer. We do know that if a girl were to receive all three doses of the vaccine, she would be exposed to 675 mcg of aluminum, which is only one of many toxic compounds found in all vaccines. Vaccinations have been linked to numerous diseases, including multiple sclerosis, nervous system disorders, and autism.
It is unthinkable that we as free Americans can be subjected to such obvious and flagrant abuses of our medical and legal rights. The United States has the resources to help so many both in this country and abroad. It is shameful that we allow the pharmaceutical industry and the FDA to engage in these corrupt and greedy practices that put millions of children and adults at risk. It's time to draw the line in Texas, and say ENOUGH!
