General Assembly To Families: We Own Your Children HB2035

After heavy-duty lobbying by Merck, the Virginia General Assembly passed HB2035, a bill that requires little girls be vaccinated with a brand spanking new cervical cancer vaccine called Gardisil before they enter 6th grade or they cannot attend public school.

Parents can opt their daughters out of the vaccine but they must justify this decision to the state.

How many parents will be aware of the following report?

The National Vaccine Information Center yesterday warned state officials to investigate the safety of a breakthrough cancer vaccine as Texas became the first state to make the vaccine mandatory for school-age girls.
Negative side effects of Gardasil, a new Merck vaccine to prevent the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer, are being reported in the District of Columbia and 20 states, including Virginia. The reactions range from loss of consciousness to seizures.
"Young girls are experiencing severe headaches, dizziness, temporary loss of vision and some girls have lost consciousness during what appear to be seizures," said Vicky Debold, health policy analyst for the National Vaccine Information Center, a nonprofit watchdog organization that was created in the early 1980s to prevent vaccine injuries.

There is also the matter of Merck money clouding the issue. It would be interesting to do some follow up on the money trail in Virginia, especially after what is being reported in Texas.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Gov. Rick Perry's chief of staff met with key aides about the human papillomavirus vaccine the same day its manufacturer donated money to his campaign, documents obtained by The Associated Press show.

Chief of staff Deirdre Delisi's calendar shows she met with the governor's budget director and three members of his office for an "HPV Vaccine for Children Briefing" on Oct. 16.

That day, New Jersey-based Merck & Co.'s political action committee donated $5,000 to Perry and $5,000 total to eight state lawmakers.

The calendar and other documents obtained by the AP show Perry's office began meeting with Merck lobbyists about the vaccine as early as mid-August, months before social conservatives, who are now those most outraged by the order, helped re-elect him in November.

Did Merck contact Virginia legislators and government officials prior to passage of this new mandate to usurp parental authority? Is there a money trail?

Unlike measles and mumps, the HPV viruses which cause certain types of cervical cancer are not contracted by sitting in classrooms no matter how crowded.

With all due respect, I cannot think of a single person in the Governor's office or the State Legislature that I would trust to knowledgeably order a medical directive like this concerning anyone, much less children.

Previously on UCV: NO to mandatory HPV vaccinations