Mandatory HPV Vaccine for Schoolgirls? State House Forum Wednesday

From State House News:

On Wednesday, May 30, 2007
11:30.....The Caucus of Women Legislators hosts a legislative forum to discuss the pros and cons of requiring pre-teen girls to be immunized to guard against cervical cancer. A panel is scheduled to include Health and Human Services Secretary JudyAnn Bigby, Boston University Medical Center Dr. Katherine Hsu, Health Care Financing Committee co-chair Sen. Richard Moore (D-Uxbridge), and Merck senior director of medical affairs Dr. Gregg Sylvester. The panel will also discuss funding proposals for a vaccine.....Room 350 [at the State House]

See our previous posting
Will Mass. Require HPV Vaccine -- Now Linked to Deaths? (5-25-07)

And see the Washington Times, "HPV vaccine concerns give legislatures pause" (4-25-07). Other states including California, New Mexico, and Maryland have had the sense to step back from this foolishness:

The initial rush to require the inoculation of preteen girls with the new HPV vaccine Gardasil fueled by Merck & Co.'s lobbying is meeting resistance as state lawmakers nationwide begin to question its safety, long-term effectiveness and cost.
... "It is far too early for this vaccine to be mandatory. We don't know about its long-term effectiveness or safety," said Lawrence Gostin, director of the Center for Law and the Public's Health at Johns Hopkins and Georgetown Universities. "A response to the rush to mandate could backfire on us with public dissatisfaction and serve as a deterrent to all vaccinations." ...
Merck's lobbying efforts are widely credited with the speed at which a legislative initiative was begun in nearly 40 states. Working with Women in Government, an advocacy group for female state legislators, Merck prodded state lawmakers to prepare legislation while Food and Drug Administration approval was still pending. Many of the bills across the country have been introduced by members of Women in Government.
Merck called off its Gardasil lobbying effort in February after public criticism over the company's motives began to swell. Merck had the backing of a number of prominent public-health organizations, including the American Cancer Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics, which have recommended that girls receive the vaccine. The groups stopped short of pressing for the mandate that Merck wants. Some say they are not ready to endorse a mandate so soon after the vaccine gained FDA approval.

Will Mass. Require HPV Vaccine -- Now Linked to Deaths?

WorldNetDaily is reporting today on a link between Merck's HPV vaccine and three deaths. They cite a study from Judicial Watch. MassResistance has reported on the risks of this drug before, including an interview on our radio show with Dr. John Diggs in March.

Massachusetts fell prey to the intense lobbying efforts by the drug company, Merck, and Senator Richard Moore has filed a bill in the Massachusetts legislature to REQUIRE this vaccine be administered to ALL 6th-grade girls in the state! Call your senator and rep and insist they oppose Bill S102.

"Merck's vaccine tied to 3 deaths; Company lobbied states for shots to be required" (5-24-07)

At least three deaths and more than 1,600 adverse reactions including spontaneous abortion and paralysis have been connected to Merck & Co.'s new vaccine for the human papillomavirus, a treatment the company has lobbied state lawmakers to make mandatory for young girls across the nation.
The report comes from Judicial Watch, the Washington-based public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption.

"The FDA adverse event reports on the HPV vaccine read like a catalog of horrors," said Tom Fitton, Judicial Watch president. "Any state or local government now beset by Merck's lobbying campaigns [this includes Massachusetts; see Bill S102] to mandate this HPV vaccine for young girls ought to take a look at these adverse health reports. It looks as if an unproven vaccine with dangerous side effects is being pushed as a miracle drug."

One report, No. 275438-1, describes the reaction as coronary artery thrombosis, sudden cardiac death. "Given Gardasil vaccine dose #1 3/12/07. Collapsed and died on 3/26/07… Echocardiogram revealed very enlarged right ventricle, small left ventricle as well as large blood clots within both the right atrium & right ventricle."
A second report noted that the woman was vaccinated and "died of a blood clot 8 hours after getting the Gardasil vaccine." ...

WND earlier reported how the company's campaign to promote its $400-per person vaccine was sweeping the nation. ... Judicial Watch said documents it obtained from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under the provisions of the Freedom of Information provided information on 1,637 reports of adverse reactions.

See also Washington Times, "HPV vaccine concerns give legislatures pause" (4-25-07).