Reply #106: You know what? It doesn't matter so much that parents can opt out [View All]

[Morgana LaFey]

why? Because not all parents will take the time to do the research they need to do to make an INFORMED decision on this. And propaganda is pretty damned effective, as everyone here at DU can attest.

There has NOT been sufficient testing on this vaccine, and that means defenseless little girls are going to be used as guinea pigs and profit margins.

Here's a little more support for my position:

Last Friday, Governor Perry issued an executive order requiring girls entering the sixth grade to get the Gardasil shot. The Texas people are opposed to this, and so is their legislature. In fact, Perry’s political base is supported by religious conservatives who outright oppose the vaccine requirement. So why did Rick Perry literally circumvent everyone and throw down this edict?

Money: Merck contributed $6,000 to his reelection campaign. They’ve also doubled their lobbying funds in Texas through their main front,Women in Government. Connections: His former chief-of-staff is a Merck lobbyist, and his current chief’s mother-in-law is the state director for WIG. Cozy, huh?

The Texas legislature can’t repeal this order – it can only be changed by Perry himself or his successor. So what can ticked-off Texans do? Impeach their governor, or look for a back door to protect their daughters. I expect a lot of parents will suddenly file opt-out affadavits, which let their kids stay in school unvaccinated based on religious or philosophical grounds. Maybe all the extra cash funneled into the Texas government’s top tier can be used to process all the extra paperwork.


and more:


Doctors have known about it for decades, and have taken the right steps to keep women healthy. All it takes is a regular Pap test. That’s it, that’s what you can do for your daughter to protect her from cervical cancer. As soon as she becomes sexually active or hits age 18, whichever comes first, bring her to the gynecologist’s office for a Pap test.

In women who go for those annual exams – uncomfortable as they are – cervical cancer is almost unheard of. And those good ol’ folks at Merck know this. In fact, they recommend annual Pap tests – the only real way to prevent cervical cancer – in addition to their vaccine (for which, by the way, the potential long-term side effects remain unknown).

http://hsi.sharpseo.com/
-------------------------

It should be noted: even with this vaccine, there's no protection against annual pap smears forever. It doesn't save anybody any money in that regard, and it doesn't ensure against cancer. Annual pap smears are still going to be required. The only sure beneficiary of this is Merck's bottom line, and that's not just a travesty it's a crime (figuratively speaking, probably not literally, alas).

What surprises me is that DUers know -- and have known for years now -- that Republicans use government as corporate welfare. They are expert at finding ways to make government fill their coffers and make their profits. This is not unlike every other boondoggle including HAVA.