Indiana senators to push HPV vaccine bill

[bluemoon24]

Senate leaders are pushing for a bill they hope will encourage sixth-grade girls to become vaccinated against a sexually transmitted disease that can cause cervical cancer - legislation they say is a good balance between parental rights and health protection.



The bill as drafted would simply give parents information about the link between human papillomavirus, or HPV, and cervical cancer and would state that an HPV vaccine is available.



Although the legislation does not require the vaccine or even suggest that parents have their daughters vaccinated, lawmakers said they are still trying to combat opposition from those who believe the bill would require the vaccine. Some senators said Thursday they are frustrated that they have to work so hard to promote a step they believe can save lives.



"One of the things that's really getting lost is this: This is a vaccine against cancer," said Sen. Beverly Gard, R-Greenfield. "That is a monumental scientific breakthrough."



Gard said things could be different if there was a vaccine against prostate cancer in men.



"We would not be having this debate," she said.



Bill sponsor Sen. Connie Lawson, R-Danville, said lawmakers are working trying to explain exactly what the bill does.



"I think there have been some distractions," she said.



One distraction may revolve around the company making the vaccine.



Gardasil, made by Merck & Co. and approved by the federal government in June, protects girls and women against strains of HPV that are 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 are likely to be sexually active.



Merck is helping bankroll efforts to pass state laws requiring the vaccines and says its lobbying efforts have been above board. The company has funneled money through Women in Government, an advocacy group made up of female state legislators around the country, including Lawson. Some critics have said the relationship between Merck and Women in Government is too cozy.



But Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, said such arguments are an attempt to cloud the issue. He noted that only a few drug companies are capable of manufacturing vaccines on such a large scale.



"It's a vaccine against cancer," he said. "People need to focus on that and not worry about who manufactures it or who provides it. Every vaccine in this country and in the world is produced by a drug company. It's just an attempt to distract the discussion."



Many companies and agencies support Women in Government, Lawson said, including the Indiana State Medical Association and the Indiana Health Care Association.



"Merck may have their agenda, but I have my agenda," Lawson said. "This was an easy issue to decide."



The original version of Lawson's proposal would have required most girls be vaccinated, although it included no penalties if they did not receive the series of three shots. A Senate committee watered down that bill to help address concerns from some parents, who said such a requirement would interfere with the way they raise their children.



At least 18 states are debating whether to require the vaccine. Texas Gov. Rick Perry recently used an executive order that bypassed the Legislature to make it the first state to mandate that schoolgirls get vaccinated against HPV.



Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said Thursday that he would not issue such an executive order. He questioned whether he has that power as governor, and said the issue should be left up to the General Assembly.



Long said the Senate bill puts the conversation about the vaccine where it belongs: between parents, their children and their family doctors.



"You've got a bill in place right now that protects parental rights while still providing information about the vaccine," he said.



Kaynak: SağlıkHaber