Texas governor orders STD vaccine for all girls.

I'm just going to copy the article.

MSNBC.:

AUSTIN, Texas - Bypassing the Legislature, Republican Gov. Rick Perry signed an order Friday making Texas the first state to require that schoolgirls get vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.

By issuing an executive order, Perry apparently sidesteps opposition in the Legislature from conservatives and parents’ rights groups who fear such a requirement would condone premarital sex and interfere with the way parents raise their children.

Beginning in September 2008, girls entering the sixth grade — meaning, generally, girls ages 11 and 12 — will have to get Gardasil, Merck & Co.’s new vaccine against strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV.

Perry, a conservative Christian who opposes abortion and stem-cell research using embryonic cells, counts on the religious right for his political base. But he has said the cervical cancer vaccine is no different from the one that protects children against polio.

“The HPV vaccine provides us with an incredible opportunity to effectively target and prevent cervical cancer,� Perry said in announcing the order.

“If there are diseases in our society that are going to cost us large amounts of money, it just makes good economic sense, not to mention the health and well-being of these individuals to have those vaccines available,� he said.

Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass state laws across the country mandating Gardasil for girls as young as 11 or 12. It doubled its lobbying budget in Texas and has funneled money through Women in Government, an advocacy group made up of female state legislators around the country.

Perry linked to Merck

Perry has several ties to Merck and Women in Government. One of the drug company’s three lobbyists in Texas is Mike Toomey, Perry’s former chief of staff. His current chief of staff’s mother-in-law, Texas Republican state Rep. Dianne White Delisi, is a state director for Women in Government.

Perry also received $6,000 from Merck’s political action committee during his re-election campaign.

Texas allows parents to opt out of inoculations by filing an affidavit objecting to the vaccine on religious or philosophical reasons. Even with such provisions, however, conservative groups say such requirements interfere with parents’ rights to make medical decisions for their children.

The federal government approved Gardasil in June, and a government advisory panel has recommended that all girls get the shots at 11 and 12, before they are likely to be sexually active.

Billions in sales at stake

The New Jersey-based drug company could generate billions in sales if Gardasil — at $360 for the three-shot regimen — were made mandatory across the country. Most insurance companies now cover the vaccine, which has been shown to have no serious side effects.

Merck spokeswoman Janet Skidmore would not say how much the company is spending on lobbyists or how much it has donated to Women in Government. Susan Crosby, the group’s president, also declined to specify how much the drug company gave.

A top official from Merck’s vaccine division sits on Women in Government’s business council, and many of the bills around the country have been introduced by members of Women in Government.

This came up when I opened my internet, and all I can say is that I'm glad they're not doing that here.
They don't have that right.
From MSNBC.

I think the girls should recieve these shots before they become sexually active, at an age where they are mature enough to understand the responsiblity involved in having sex.

Of course, girls are having sex at younger ages now, so that plan might not really work out the way I envision it.

Is this the HPV vaccine? I did a thread on mibba about that. I think it's stupid, they should give it to girls who are sexually active, it's wrong to tell a nine year old that their getting a vaccine to stop an STD because statistics say that in two years your going to 'need' it. It's a parents choice whether they want their child to be vaccinated, not some politician.

I think it's a good idea. It's not telling kids "You're protected, now go out and have sex", because kids don't think like that. But it's protecting them for when they do go out and have sex.

The STD vaccine protects against cancer, as well.
So many girls who have sex get HPV and it can cause cancer.
I think the vaccine is a good idea, but I don't think people should be ordered to get it by the government.

I agree with the dude. It's like the polio vaccine. If something is available, it should be used. Right now, we're in need of some serious social reforms in terms of sexual activity and the media's involvement. Until those happen, it's best to just give people the damn shot. I think it would be a good idea to give it to a kid maybe when she starts her period or something.

This is not to say that girls will go out and have sex as soon as they start to menstruate.

i like the idea, STD's are far to common and this will help lower the rate.

lyrical_mess:

I agree with the dude. It's like the polio vaccine. If something is available, it should be used. Right now, we're in need of some serious social reforms in terms of sexual activity and the media's involvement. Until those happen, it's best to just give people the damn shot. I think it would be a good idea to give it to a kid maybe when she starts her period or something.

This is not to say that girls will go out and have sex as soon as they start to menstruate.

you can get std's before you've started your period, too o_o

Now, I believe the average age for the onset of menstruation is 12, 13 years. In some cases, girls start at 9 or 10. Other than rape and molestation cases, how many girls are likely to go out and have sex before that? How many 8-12 year olds would willingly have sex?

Actually, the reason why the vaccine is given at the age of nine here is because statistics show that most sexual 'activities' are starting at the ripe age of eleven.

I think it's a great idea. I wish this had been a law in all states years ago. I got infected with the high risk strain of the virus that this vaccine is meant to prevent, and I'm basically on a one way route to cervical cancer town because I didn't get this shot before I started doing the deed. I just wish it had been around when I was nine years old. It would have saved me a lot of misery now and in the years to come.

Coff:

I think it's a good idea. It's not telling kids "You're protected, now go out and have sex", because kids don't think like that. But it's protecting them for when they do go out and have sex.

actually, kids kinda do think along those lines. i remember when i was in somewhere around grade 6 we got a hep. b shot [which we learned were to fight against 'cooties' from other people which could be tranferred by saliva] and then after that we all shared drinks cuz we were like, we can't get sick from your germs! ...but we were wrong...anywho...

this vaccine seems like a good idea, but as it's been said, it should only be given to those sexually active. it doesn't have ot be in front of everyone either, just like anonymously. in grade 6, have they already had an sex ed? this could either push them towards beig sexually active or scare them so they don't have sex...ever.

It's not just sex that can give you the STD.
And now that I think of it, the STD vaccine does prevent pregnancy.
So it is like a polio or flu vaccine.

druscilla_nesser:

It's not just sex that can give you the STD.
And now that I think of it, the STD vaccine does prevent pregnancy.
So it is like a polio or flu vaccine.

if it's not just sex, i don't think it should be called a 'sexually transmitted disease'.

and it prevents pregnancy? ...so it's like birth control...so many parents would be against it because it's like giving birth control to their kids and there are many views on that topic...

it's like a flu vaccine? so that means you have a chance of getting hpv or whatnot before you can be immuned from it. that's not good...

Franny.:

druscilla_nesser:

It's not just sex that can give you the STD.
And now that I think of it, the STD vaccine does prevent pregnancy.
So it is like a polio or flu vaccine.

if it's not just sex, i don't think it should be called a 'sexually transmitted disease'.

and it prevents pregnancy? ...so it's like birth control...so many parents would be against it because it's like giving birth control to their kids and there are many views on that topic...

it's like a flu vaccine? so that means you have a chance of getting hpv or whatnot before you can be immuned from it. that's not good...

Gardasil does not give you pregnancy protection, it only protects you from 4 of the top most common HPV viruses strains. There are over 100 different strains of the virus. Some cause warts, some cause cervical cancer, and sometimes the virus will actually clear up on its own.
And yes, you can get HPV before you're immune from it if you get the shot. And if you have an HPV strain that the vaccine is supposed to protect you from, then it will do no good against that specific strain of the virus. But it will still protect you againt the other strains if you're not already infected with them.

You can read more about the vaccine here and about the virus here.

Vanity:

Gardasil does not give you pregnancy protection, it only protects you from 4 of the top most common HPV viruses strains. There are over 100 different strains of the virus. Some cause warts, some cause cervical cancer, and sometimes the virus will actually clear up on its own.
And yes, you can get HPV before you're immune from it if you get the shot. And if you have an HPV strain that the vaccine is supposed to protect you from, then it will do no good against that specific strain of the virus. But it will still protect you againt the other strains if you're not already infected with them.

You can read more about the vaccine here and about the virus here.

ok so these girls are forced to be vaccinated against something that they may never get but could get it from the vaccination itself. that is just...not right o_O

Franny.:

ok so these girls are forced to be vaccinated against something that they may never get but could get it from the vaccination itself. that is just...not right o_O

Are you thinking they will get infected from the vaccine itself?
No no, that won't happen. The vaccine does not cause HPV in anyway. It only protects you from it.

This is how the vaccine works. (taken from wikipedia)
Biotechnology
"The HPV major capsid protein, L1, can spontaneously self-assemble into virus-like particles (VLPs) that resemble authentic HPV virions. Gardasil contains recombinant VLPs assembled from the L1 proteins of HPVs 6, 11, 16 and 18. Since VLPs lack the viral DNA, they cannot induce cancer. They do, however, trigger an antibody response that protects vaccine recipients from becoming infected with the HPV types represented in the vaccine."

And some studies have shown that as many as 75% of women in the US will become infected with a strain of the human papillomavirus sometime in their lives. With about 6 million new people getting infected with it yearly.
But I do see your side. Some people will be lucky and never become infected even if they don't have the vaccine.

"And yes, you can get HPV before you're immune from it if you get the shot"

you wrote that, that's what lead me to think further that you can get hpv from the vaccine. i only assumed it worked like a flu shot. and from the explanation of the vaccine, in general, it does work like the flut shot.

this shot does seem like a good thing to have been created. but to force it upon innocent girls who don't know what to think on the topic yet, seems a bit intrusive.

Oh I'm sorry I confused you, I should have worded that a little better or differently.

I do sort of agree with you that giving it to a nine year old can be a bit intrusive. And for a 9 year old to get the shot 3 times before complete immunization happens can seem a little extreme, because it's really painful when you get it, I mean REALLY painful. But I can't help but outweigh the negatives with the positives of it.