Is Any One Else FURIOUS About This New HPV Vaccine Mandate???

(rofl) Actually, I thought the sky had fallen in, or the temp had dropped dramatically in "that hot place," because I just sent an email to him congratulating him on the decision. I don't think I've ever approved of anything he's ever done before. It's just so amazing to see any politician give a durn about any health care issue, and I don't care why he's done it.

You DID see the stat where Texas is second in the country in reported cases of cervical cancer, right? And you understand that a piece of your taxes help pay for that care, eventually? By all means, every parent who feels strongly about it can opt out for their kids, but I don't think anyone can definitely say that Perry's decision is wrong for Texas.

And there, folks, is the rant for the other side. :-D

3 moms found this helpful

I totally agree. This is so ridiculous!! There are many strands of HPV and the vaccine only counts for a few of them, and it is not 100% effective. Most strands of HPV clear up on their own and the ones that don't can be treated effectively before causing cancer. Let's promote education on the topic and getting regular pap smears. I hope we don't discover that there is some horrible side effect to this vaccine in a few years like we did with some of the other ones.
I believe that vaccinating your children is a very personal decision that should never be made blindly. Only a parent can decide what is right for their child and their family, and hopefully that decision is an educated one.

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You're feelings are shared by many. There is outrage that our freedom to choose is lost and that the pharmaceutical company has such a hefty price tag on the shots. I feel confident there will be a backlash that the Governor is not expecting. My husband came home from work very angry about it saying that people there were furious too. I'm sure we will hear more about this. This is America isn't it?
C. S.

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well, my 13 yo daughter has an appt next friday to get this new vaccine...i think it is wonderful that they have found a way to prevent this horrible disease that over 90 percent of women get...there are over fifteen different strains of hpv out there and it has been proven that sexually active women are exposed to four or more of these in their lifetime...being a women who had to have a full hyst at 29, i would like to see my daughter be able to have a long childbearing life...if this vaccine can help do that, then i am all for it...just fyi, cervical cancer is one of the most undetected cancers around...women have it for a long time before they realize it and then it is usually stage three or four, which is basically too late to do anything about...they die a slow and painful death...so, again, if you dont want your daughter to have it, that is your choice, but i for one will choose for my daughter to have it...thanks

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I must say I was a little shocked when I heard that story on the news. I'd be interested to know how many shares of Merck stock Gov. Perry owns. I don't have any girls but if I did, I would definitely opt out until such time as I felt it was safe and necessary.

M.

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You are not the only one. It is not up to him to decide that for my daughter and me. It should be up to us...mother/daughter with input from the dr as to why the dr
thinks it is needed. I reiterate...dr to specific patient
needs...I mean the each pre teen is different...some are not
brought up to understand the dangers of sex in diseases as
well as the demand sudden parenthood will do.
I think he was paid a handsome fee for his mandate...
Is there a site for petition signers to sign and get it sent in to lobbyist against this?
What are the statistics on side effects...are they known yet?
Has it been tested long enough? What about the older boys that are more sexually active passing along to younger females?
If this was for the best for my daughter...the odds were way against her in getting this *50 50...not medically bad enough
to enforce the shot* *and may be less if she is not sexually active till she is 18 *I aim for this range* as opposed to
sexually active at 13 because boys only like that or wants a baby *see talk shows*. If the odds were indeed 90 percent and
side effect short term and long term for non smokers is say dryness down there...and she was one who felt that boys were
the one and only thing in life to get and therefore put out at that young age...then yes...shot. And yes I am listing the negative/and the worst case scenario in one way.
And I have been active sexually for 25 years and have not had this. I know I am not in the 10 percent range. That is not possible.

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In my opinion, I think that it is a good thing. If you could get your child a vaccine that will help prevent cancer later on in life, why not? Even if your girls did the responsible thing and waited until marriage for sex, chances are that their husbands will have previously had sex (just the sad way things are) and though he may show no signs could then pass it on to them. If you could vaccinate them for just one kind of skin cancer, wouldn't you even though there are more than one kind of skin cancer?

Just my opinion and I hope I did not offend.

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YEP! I'm with ya! Nothing short of criminal. I am a Republican also or have been in the past...abortion is my big issue, but I'm beginning to question our party's tendency to sleep with big business especially BIG PHARMA who I blame for our son's vaccine injury! I would love for them to come walk in my shoes for a day or two and see what their greed has done!

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I am a very extreme lefty but I agree with you 100%! No one should Make decisions like that for our children! Now we have to discuss stds to our children who might not be ready for that kind of talk yet.

Thanks for brining it up D.! Great topic!

K.

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I am with you, D.! Our kids are treated like lab rats enough in this country!! Don't mandate a vaccine on my kid until you take it yourself. This vac is so new that there is no way to know the long term effects on our girls! Genital warts are very easily treated, although it can be a long term battle, it is not always a life sentence. But the possible side effects could do more damage than good. I will wait for at least 10 years to see the long term effects before giving this to my dd. They can make anything sound good with enough money thrown at it. (I do lkie Perry, but I would have to respectfully disagree with him on this one.)

Others will have differing opinions, so just feel good about the decision you make by researching before injecting. No matter what your decision, you will be doing what you feel is best for your own children. And that is what Mamas do. :)

BTW, I have a sister named D.. And it does not appear that anti-monopoly laws apply to pharmaceutical companies. ;)

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I applaud Gov. Perry on this mandate. Like it or not, our children are going to be sexually active - and before we want them to be. I'm thrilled that there is a vaccine that will not only protect them against HPV, but also cervical cancer. Would you be so opposed to this if it was a vaccine to treat another type of cancer, say breast cancer? Probably not. Most oppose this b/c of it's tie to an STD. I will be taking my daughter to get this as soon as she's old enough. I take her to get her other vaccines - why should this one be any different?

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I can understand the moral and ethical issues some may have with this mandate. And I do not know how noble Gov. Perry's reasoning may be. I am a very conservative Christian; however, I speak from experience.

In my younger years I was promiscuous. I new about other STDs but I knew nothing about HPV and cervical cancer. After I was married for 3 years, I had an abnormal pap smear and it turned out that I had dysplasia--precancerous cells. I had to have a leep procedure to remove the cells and fortunately I haven't had an abnormal pap smear since. If the vaccine was available when I was younger and I had received it, I may not have had these issues. The fact is, I knew the risks of STDs and the conflict premarital sex had with my faith but in my stupidity I decided to have sex anyway.

I pray that my daughter does wait until marriage and practices abstinance and I will teach her about the implications of having premarital sex, but she will ultimately make that decision. I have no problem giving her the vaccine esp at such a young age. Children are not aware of all the vaccines they receive and what the vaccines prevent. . .I didn't know until my first child had his shots. This is very different from enabling by passing out condoms, etc.--which I do NOT agree with. This is preventing a possible fatal cancer.

I would think that all of us on this board are caring, concerned parents. But sadly, there are many parents out there that are not. Also, remember not all people are informed or intellegent enough to make these decisions. Or they may not have the same value system about remaining abstinent or there may be parents that do not teach their children about sex and STDs. So by this mandate, this helps those girls who may not be informed or taught by their parents.

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D.,
I am furious too. My sister called me today and asked If I knew about it and if my was going to give to my daughter who is 11 years old, by 2008, she will be going into 7th grade I belive. I even voted for Perry, but, I strongly, I strongly disagree with him. You are right, how many 6th grade girls are out there having sex. Do I just have my head in the sand. I teach my daughter good morals and already telling her about boys. Perry is way offfffffffffffff. I do not believe that vaccine is going to take care of this disease even if girls get the vaccine and continue to have many and different sexual partners. Can we start a petition, if so, put my name on it. I will have not have my daughter take this vaccine.

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I've been thinking about your post for a while. I agree with you and just emailed my state representative about how I feel. I encourage you to do the same.

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I would absolutely hope that girls are not becoming sexually active by 6th grade (although I know it's happened). I find it ridiculous that it is mandated as well although I'm no longer in Texas. I agree that while, yes none of us would like for our daughters to get any of these diseases, the fact remains that these vaccinations have NOT been out long enough to determine long term effects...whereas HPV can be dealt with and precautions can be taken. I would absolutely hold off on getting anything just because the drug companies recommend it. ESPECIALLY because! Unfortunately I'm forced to take certain prescriptions, but my family and I have started to look into more holistic approaches (nothing radical at this point) with less side and long term effects (if any).

Stick to your guns, YOU know what is best for YOUR children! :)

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Im glad there is a vaccine that may help prevent girls from getting cancer. I believe there was a true need for this but believe that parents should get to choose if there child has to get it or not. Im sure most will choose to protect there child but dont want to feel forced into making this decision. This type of cancer isnt airborne like a cold or anything it can only happen if your child is sexually active (and i hope they arent even thinking of that at the 6th grade level). I almost think it is going to give girls a false hope that is can cure anyone who gets cervical cancer and that isnt true. I also hope it dosent encourage more girls to have sex at an earlier age b/c now there is a vaccine, birthcontrol and condoms they can access...I feel they make think they are making an ok-safe decision to have sex at an early age b/c they feel so "protected" and nothing could possibly happen to them. Im also glad my daughter is only 4 and by the time she is old enough for this they will have more knowledge on the subject and can see if it really has true results and if there are any long term side effects that they dont know about yet...its only been out for I think 4yrs...thats not long enough to test in my opinion on the entire pop of girls in 6th grade b/c they havent given enough time to see the results from a young girl to adulthood on if it really works. I just hope for all the taxpayers sake there are not any side effects from this b/c the the entire pop at 6th grade level of girls will need to be treated if they had the vaccine and that would be alot of money! Well good luck to all on this topic and hopefully we can all make our own choice for our girls~!

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I don't understand how so many mothers can be against something so beneficial for their children (both male and female). I stated what I believed on the more recent thread of this, so I won't really go into detail. I will say that it is incorrect to say that it is only affecting an STD. Cervical cancer does not only come from STDs. There are so many ways to look at this. You have to understand that YOU are ultimately the one who teaches your child his or her values, so a vaccine will not affect what they decide to do with their bodies. Also, you have no control over what their future spouses do with their own bodies before meeting your child. What if he/she has somehow contracted the HPV virus? With this vaccine, YOU don't have to worry about YOUR OWN CHILD being infected. Surely you all are taking that into consideration.

I gree with the decision. I don't have a daughter, but if I did she would get it. I watched a friend struggle with cervical cancer and had this vaccine been available it may have helped her. I can't say 100% that it would have helped her, but it may have and that is enough for me. SOme people say that you are eoncouraging your daughters to have sex by having them get the vaccine. Sometimes I wish that people would take a look around. It is happening, kids are having sex younger and younger and as much as we want all our children to wait (boys and girls), sometimes things happen. We can be the best parents possible and teach our children the best that we can, but sometimes things happen. SOmetimes parents need to open their eyes to the reality of what's going in around them. I used to tutor highshool students and the number of stories I heard and who was doing what shocked me(I was in college). The mere possibility that something could happen would be enough to have a daughter vaccinated. The other side (which is not at all pretty). How many woman get raped...something like 1 in 3. So even if your daughters don't plan on having sex until they are married...bad things happen to good people. It is the sad reality of this world.

Hmm...interesting that you don't want your daughter to protect herself against something that she is 90% likely to get. If I had a daughter, I would have her get it. By the way, herpes & HPV will most likely give her trouble at some point in her life...especially when she is ready to have children. If she gets it, she can also pass it on to others without knowing it. Do you want her to do that?

http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/STDFact-HPV-vaccine.htm

I would be thrilled that Perry passed the new HPV/ Genital warts vaccine for our daughters. I would want my daughter protected.

I don't think it should be mandatory, and it's obviously not if there's ways you can get out of it. But why would you not want to protect your daughter from an STD? We can try to pass our values and morals on to our daughters, but what they do when they're away from us is there decision. My parents were wonderful, but that didn't stop me from having sex when I was away from home. As much as I will try to teach my daughter to obstain, that doesn't mean that she will. I would much rather her be protected than end up with an STD that was preventable. It's not like she will know exactly what the vaccine is for. She will just think it's another shot she has to get. Do you tell your daughter all the bad things that can happen to her if she doesn't get the other vaccines? So why this one? I think this just gives hot headed people something else to gripe about. I applaud this vaccine and will make sure both of my daughters get it.

I'm not furious at all ~ I didn't know about the mandate, but I think it's wonderful. The current vaccine covers 4 strains of HPV, one of which causes 50% of cervical cancer. They are doing a study currently testing a vaccine that will cover 8 strains. Yes, it's an STD, but the thought here is to protect them BEFORE they're sexually active ... to prevent further problems. I know of a major University that is currently doing a study to see if these girls will need a booster before they go off to college to keep them protected into adulthood. The reality is that up to 80% of women have had HPV ~ I think finding a vaccine is so wonderful and to save people from getting cervical cancer is great!

Obviously, you have your right to opt out of the vaccine, but I, for one, will have my daughter vaccinated.

As far as the LONG term effects ... No, there isn't information about that. However, they have been studying this vaccine for the last 10 years though with promising results.

Merck was also the developer of this vaccine ~ so I'm sure that like anything else, the manufacturer list will increase as patents expire, etc.

I just saw your addition to your post: You talk about how we can't protect our children from everything ~ but in this case, we CAN protect them from several strains of HPV (the most prevalent). I think your abstinence approach is a good one, but not necessarily completely realistic. I don't know your or your daughters, but there is so much more to this. For example, your daughter is married ~ her husband has an affair ... brings HPV back to her. Not all that far-fetched. I don't know ~ I just don't understand the fear of PROTECTING your child from something you have had to deal with. I understand that you've kept it under control, but you still have to have colposcopies, etc ~ Wouldn't it be wonderful if your daughters could never have to deal with an abnormal PAP? And if this vaccine could give them just a BIT more protection, isn't it worth it?

D.,
Your response was the same I gave to my husband when I first heard about this. I am soooooooooo frustrated with the entire system. I have two boys however if I had any daughters, you can bet I would not allow them to get this NEW vaccine....I would fight it. How dare they. Okay, I've vented, just needed to add my voice along with everyone. Blessings to all. D.

Yes, I am furious. Not only is this an instance of government trying to make decisions that should be left up to an individual or a family, but it also reeks of underhanded good-old-boy-ism. Merck is the ONLY manufacturer of this vaccine. In recent months, the company DOUBLED it lobbying expenditures in TX. They even hired Gov. Perry's former chief of staff in the effort. Is it any wonder that an executive order was signed (with no prior public discussion) which will sell millions of doses of the vaccine for Merck each year?

Most vaccines given to infants and children protect against diseases that are easily communicable, and are intended to prevent widespread breakouts of illness. There is a lot of discussion as to whether these vaccines are even necessary anymore in this day and age. The HPV virus, however, is a sexually transmitted disease, not exactly a public threat - you won't catch HPV from casual contact or from someone sneezing on you. I believe that this decision was more fiscally motivated than we are being led to believe. The governor's statement following the signing noted decreased medical expenses related to cervical cancer treatments in the future.

YES, cervical cancer is a threat to women everywhere, and there are some people who are not informed enough (and many more who CHOOSE not to be informed enough) to make decisions about receiving vaccines, but does that give the government the authority to make decisions for us?

I don't buy into the idea that the vaccine will promote sexual promiscuity, but rather believe that as with the risk of other STD's and unplanned pregnancy, knowledge and conversation go a long way. You cannot control every facet of your child's life, especially when he/she is a teenager, but you can give information and explain consequences of future actions, and even share experiences to make it more personal. Parents and doctors should discuss whether this vaccine is right for their individual child, not a pharmaceutical company and its puppetry.

Just a few rantings from the left. :)