[bluemoon24]

Some conservatives and parents-rights groups say such a requirement would encourage premarital sex and interfere with the way they raise their children.



The New Jersey-based company said its lobbying efforts have been above-board.



Lawmakers in at least 18 states are debating whether to require Merck's Gardasil vaccine for schoolgirls.



Merck has funneled money through Women in Government, an advocacy group made up of female state legislators around the country.



Gardasil, approved by the federal government in June, protects girls and women against strains of the virus responsible for most cases of cervical cancer.



A government advisory panel has recommended that all girls get the shots at 11 and 12 -- before they're likely to be sexually active.



Merck spokeswoman Janet Skidmore would not say how much the company is spending on lobbyists or how much it donated to Women in Government.



But Skidmore says Merck has disclosed the fact of providing funding to the organization.



Kaynak: SağlıkHaber