By Connie Kaplan, RegainAmerica Staff Writer, April 21, 2007

Texas Governor Rick Perry tries an end run around fundamental parental rights with his “Executive Order” mandating the Gardasil vaccine for schoolgirls.

Note the key word here is “mandate”. Not suggest. Not recommend. Not urge. Mandate.

Thankfully Governor Perry’s outrageous order was soon taken to task, and the Texas legislature has introduced bills to deal with the problem. For the time being, there will be no mandatory Gardasil vaccine for the schoolgirls of Texas. But the issues brought forward in Perry’s order remain deeply troubling.

First there were the Governor’s ties to Merck Co., the powerful pharmaceutical powerhouse that makes “Gardasil”, a vaccine against strains of the human papillomavirus or HPV. Merck has been digging into its extremely deep pockets to bankroll state laws all across the country that mandate - mandate – Gardasil for girls as young as 11 or 12.

Reliable sources report that if the Gardasil vaccine (which comes in at $360.00 a pop for the three-shot regimen), were made mandatory countrywide, Merck could generate billions - not millions - BILLION$ of dollars in sales.

Among other things, Merck had doubled its lobbying budget in Texas (surprise!) and had funneled money through a group called Women in Government which is an advocacy group made of female state legislators around the country. (Apparently bills which would be favorable to Merck are introduced by Women in Government members.)

And it turns out that Governor Perry’s former chief of staff is one of Merck’s three lobbyists in Texas. Not only that, but the governor’s current chief of staff’s mother-in-law is a state director for Women in Government. And, Merck’s political action committee also happened to donate a substantial sum to the governor during his re-election campaign.

Huh.

Well, the governor’s relationship with Merck may or may not be close enough for pillow talk, although it certainly gives one cause to pause. But the issue of whether the governor’s unmitigated enthusiasm for the Gardasil vaccine is related to genuine concern for the daughters of his constituents, or to other interests of special benefit to the governor, is only the first issue. Of greater note is the question of how the governor’s order infringed upon the rights of parents to. . . . .PARENT.

The right to parent one’s own children – to choose your child’s name, their religious affiliation, their school, their medical providers – these rights are unquestioned.

And yet orders and proposals like that of Governor Perry and Women in Government contemplate a purposeful and deliberate encroachment upon the rights of parents to decide whether or not their daughters should be given the vaccine. Or are old enough for the vaccine. Or whether there are medical contraindications they would like to see evaluated further.

Or, whether the parents would like to retain control over the moral or spiritual aspects of their daughters’ development. The Gardasil vaccine, after all, protects against the sexually transmitted virus that can lead to cervical cancer. This type of vaccine may therefore conflict with the moral or religious values of some parents. Some parents, for example, may be advocating chastity before marriage. Or, some parents may be unwillingly forced to discuss the facts of life with a daughter they consider to be too young. Or perhaps some parents choose not to be forced into a premature discussion of sexually transmitted disease with their daughters.

There can be no question that parents are the ultimate safeguards of their childrens’ health, safety and welfare from all standpoints – physical, mental, moral, religious and spiritual.

Equally, there can be no question that, if Perry’s order had become law, the effect would have been that of the government stepping into the parents’ shoes on precisely these intensely personal and unquestionably fundamental parental rights.

So, of critical importance is the question before us – what boundaries should be set for governmental encroachment on parental rights?

It is already possible, in the United States, for underage girls to obtain abortions without parental notification of any kind whatsoever.

Whatsoever.

It is already possible, in the United States, for hospitals to bypass parents who refuse certain types of surgery for their children - even on religious grounds.

So, are we now headed into the murky waters of governmentally required medications and vaccines for diseases OTHER than those which can cause catastrophic public health disasters or world-wide epidemics (e.g., smallpox and polio?)

Today, the HPV vaccine. Tomorrow, what?  Mandated ADD medication for hyper-active children?  Mandated Human Growth Hormone for short children?  Mandated anti-depressants for the depressed?  Required birth control pills for women on welfare?  Required "morning after" pills for women on welfare?  Or for women who are disabled, or who are, for some reason deemed by the government or some other third party to be "unfit" to parent?

Governor Perry’s outrageous Executive Order was nullified, at least for the time being, with the opinions of the people contributing in large measure to this success. That’s the good news.

Now, we must all continue to remain vigilant as other bills similar to Perry’s are brought forward across the country.

What can we do?

We use the power of the pen, the power of our voice, and the power of our vote.

Individually, we can send our emails and our snail mails to our state and federal representatives.  We can make telephone calls.  And, we can band together within our communities such as those being built by RegainAmerica.

Standing together we can ensure that the responsibilities of the government, the economic health of our business entities, AND the rights and civil liberties of the people can be balanced against one another for the best result for all.

That’s the American way!

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