SOURCE: Family Research Council
After weeks of speculation and pressure from groups like FRC, Merck & Co. has announced that it will no longer lobby states to make its HPV vaccine Gardasil mandatory for school attendance. A cloud of concern has followed the company since word broke that it was donating money to targeted lawmakers in hopes that they would help pass vaccine mandates for Gardasil in their states. FRC put the spotlight on the company's tactics--especially since Merck stood to make a substantial profit from its legislative campaign. This is no small victory for FRC, which took the lead to educate lawmakers and voters in states where mandatory immunization is still up for debate. In the last month, our staff has ramped up its efforts on Capitol Hill, meeting with Members of Congress to discuss a national "opt-in" policy that would reinstate parental control, as opposed to the current "opt-out" provision for the vaccine in states like Texas, where Gov. Rick Perry issued an executive order to mandate the vaccine. Two proposals are currently before the Texas House Committee on Public Health to help undo the damage done to parental rights. Rep. Dennis Bonnen (R) is pushing House Bill 1098, which would forbid state health officials to bar an unvaccinated child from public schools. A second proposal, House Bill 1379, introduced by Rep. Joe Deshotel (D), would require the state to create a "large-scale public information campaign" to explain the pros and cons of the vaccine before girls could be compelled to undergo the shots. A number of medical and public health experts have said that until we have more data on the vaccine's long-term safety and effectiveness, a mandate is premature at best. For these reasons, and to prevent an end run around parents' rights, FRC will continue to lead the charge on the Hill, through the media, and our alerts to ensure that other states take the necessary steps to ensure that the drug is available--but not required.
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