Profession
HPV vaccine no longer the law in Texas
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted June 11, 2007
Texas's first-in-the-nation human papillomavirus vaccine mandate is dead. In late April the Texas House voted 135-2 and the Senate voted 30-1 to overturn Republican Gov. Rick Perry's executive order mandating that girls entering middle school receive the HPV vaccine unless their parents opt out for religious, medical or philosophical reasons.
Perry strongly disagreed with the Texas Legislature's action, but decided not to veto the legislation because lawmakers would easily override it.
"A debate which affects real lives has been hijacked by politics and posturing," Perry said in an emotional May speech announcing his decision to let the repeal stand. "I have never seen so much misinformation spread about a vital public health issue."
Perry was harshly criticized for his financial and personal ties to Merck & Co., the manufacturer of the only HPV vaccine on the market, and for preempting legislative debate on the matter with his executive order. Leading physician organizations, including the Texas Medical Assn., object to mandating the vaccine now because the series of shots costs $360 and because it has been on the market for less than a year.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/06/11/prbf0611.htm.
