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DEL.ICIO.USMore Republican opposition surfaces against mandated HPV vaccine
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The two-week hiatus by the state Legislature has become an opportunity for critics to gin up opposition to Sen. Don Balfour’s measure to mandate that girls entering the sixth grade be vaccinated against a sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.
Late Monday, Sadie Fields, chairman of the Georgia Christian Alliance, sent out an e-mail blast to supporters, urging them to ring up Balfour’s office.
And over the weekend, the board of directors of the Georgia Federation of Young Republican Clubs condemned the measure.
“We felt that the State of Georgia should not be using its police power to force all sixth grade girls to take the woefully under-tested and very expensive vaccine,” said chairman Jason Shepherd.
Shepherd has connections to state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, but also once served as a legislative aide for Balfour, a Republican from Snellville.
Given that Balfour is chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, S.B. 155 is sure to get a floor vote when the Legislature reconvenes.
But even before Fields and the Young Republicans stepped in, the legislation had been getting poor reviews from the GOP’s rightward contingent. Last week, U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Marietta) came out against mandating the vaccine. On the state Senate floor, David Shafer of Duluth is likely to be one of the leading opponents. He’s posted this on his blog.
In her message, Fields said: “First, it sends the wrong message to young girls that it is okay to engage in premarital sex at a very young age.
“Secondly, it does not address all strains of the HPV virus and covers no other sexually transmitted diseases and may lull young girls into thinking they are protected when indeed they are not.
“Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, the decision about whether or not a young girl receives this vaccine should be left up to parents, the child and the doctor.”
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By Royal Masset
March 6, 2007 11:11 AM | Link to this
The HPV vaccine will save 3000 lives every year and eliminate the 10,000 cases of cervical cases each year that hurt victims with anxiety and financial pressures. Thousands of babies will be unborn. I’m ashamed that the Republican party is now the party of death. We used to be the party of life. Parental authority can be preserved with an opt out provision. The HPV is extremely communicable an can be passed on with hand to hand contact. The HPV vaccine is the greatest health discovery since the polio vaccine. Republicans in Atlanta need to get behind this.
By Aquagirl
March 6, 2007 1:05 PM | Link to this
Sadie Field’s opinion on anything related to sex is about as relevant and unbiased as Bin Laden’s opinion on America.
By greer
March 6, 2007 1:18 PM | Link to this
Royal, the vaccine hasn’t been fully tested so we don’t know if the children will suffer longterm effects from any adverse symptoms this vaccine could develop. I’m for the the vaccination being mandated for children but only after we know that there won’t be any longterm, adverse effects.
By Aquagirl
March 6, 2007 1:32 PM | Link to this
And how long do you want to wait to see if there are long term effects? We know the long term effects of HPV, in some cases, it’s death. I find it quite suspicious that the Sadie Field’s of the world haven’t been interested in mandatory vaccination until now, when it taps into the whole women and dirty sex thing.
Sadie Fields put her points in exactly the order that they matter to her and to the rest of these crazy wanna-be theocrats.
By Dan
March 6, 2007 2:06 PM | Link to this
I am not sure how accurate some of the quotes are here as to potential beneficiaries of fears of long term effectiveness. But what is evident from statement one is people blurt out stuff based on politics. The most important vaccine since polio I don’t care if it eradicates 100% of HPV it clearly isn’t in the same class as a polio vaccine. And there are few things scarier than the government mandating any kind of vaccine or innoculation. Quite frankly (and I know this may create a firestorm but here we go) I suggest that Roe vs Wade would be a precedent for not allowing the government to mandate such a thing After all it is a right to privacy issue is it not.
By GOPMarine
March 6, 2007 3:23 PM | Link to this
Just a point of fact. Sadie is clueless when it comes to issues such as this. I agree with Senator Balfour on this issue. There is a reason I tend to not join up with some of the “republican” groups out there. Mainly it has to do with wackos and wanna-bes that represent those groups and in turn make the Republican Party look like a bunch of bible thumpin hicks. Way to go guys!
By Royal Masset
March 6, 2007 3:48 PM | Link to this
Greer has some valid concerns about safety. But by definition we won’t know how the vaccine performs for 20 years until 20 years have passed. After 5 years it has been proven to be 100% safe. The people so concerned about the safety of their children should make sure they never drive cars as teenagers or swin in swimming pools where the odds of them dying are maybe 100,000 times as great as the worst case scenario for Gardasil. Keep in mind that all dangerous drugs fit in one of three categories: They 1) are toxic like RU 486, 2) are used frequently and have long term impact on the bloodstream like Vioxx or hormone replacement therapy, or they are a live virus or bacteria. Gardasil is none of these and it is impossible to build a credible theory of how it could harm the body. And yes Dan, this is the greatest vaccine since polio. It will save 3000 lives a year in the US and many thousands of the unborn whose parents would otherwise die of cancer. Conservatives used to fight to speed up getting good drugs on the market.
By Bull Moose
March 6, 2007 8:51 PM | Link to this
I wouldn’t trust Sadie Fields’ opinion on anything. The last time that woman raised her head out of the sand, she tried to convince the state that Ralph Reed was a moral and ethical leader.
Because of people like Sadie and their dogmatic approach to ideology on issues of sex education, I would submit that there are countless girls and guys out there that did not know Cervical Cancer stemmed from a sexually transmitted disease.
Secondly, we are talking about a vaccination against cervical cancer. This is the first vaccine ever developed. It has been tested for 4 years and approved through the FDA.
This vaccine should be mandated through the Health Department and there should be an opt out opportunity. But can you imagine the parent who opts out that loses their daughter from cervical cancer?
Finally, the Georgia Federation of Young Republicans should have not gotten involed in this issue. Republicans should not become the part against the FIRST vaccine for a type of cancer.
By SouthGAConservative
March 6, 2007 9:47 PM | Link to this
Bull Moose is just a McCain lover who will help him be defeated just like he did in SC with this kind of nonsense.
Mrs. Fields has been a great conservative leader in this states. Her position is common sense, not dogmatic. Parents should make this decision, not the state.
Go back to the McCain campaign Bull Moose.
By Aquagirl
March 6, 2007 11:39 PM | Link to this
Considering the estrangement between The Great Conservative Leader and her own daughter, you’d think she’d keep her trap shut on how one should raise a girl. I guess she used up all her common sense in making this pronouncement on a medical matter.
Next thing you know, the Christian Conservatives will go completely off the deep end and diagnose women’s medical conditions from the floor of the legislature….oh, I forgot, they did that already.
Nutcases.
By Edith
March 7, 2007 11:06 AM | Link to this
HPV virus is spread by boys. Why are they exempted from mandatory vaccination since they are the main carriers?
By E
March 7, 2007 12:16 PM | Link to this
I don’t know Edith, but lacking a vagina might me why.
By Jim J
March 7, 2007 1:28 PM | Link to this
Hicks run this place. Nothin’ but hicks. What an embarrassment.
By A friend
March 7, 2007 6:12 PM | Link to this
I am totally shocked by the ignorance of those who claim the HPV vaccine should not be mandated. How many parents across ALL INCOME LEVELS will voluntarily seek out this vaccine for their young daughters? I can assure you very few as many don’t even have the mentality to visit a doctor regularly. The justifications are absurd; such as this could encourage premarital sex at a young age…what the hell is that? And condom advertisement, commercials, TV, movies and the internet do what, discourage sex at any age? Lock your daughter in a closet for her entire life if you want that guarantee. It is actually very sad and pathetic to see the backward thinking and negative focus of some regarding this issue. Take a look at drugs, sexual predators, crime and many other issues that you can do something about to save lives. That is where your energy should be going. Please don’t be a part of the problem but a part of the solution. This can and will save 3000 lives each year but only if we act now not in 20 years. Thank you Senator Balfour for taking this step in clearly an unjustified controversy.
By Bull Moose
March 7, 2007 9:18 PM | Link to this
According to Ms. Fields and other members of the extreme far right, vaccination against cervical cancer will cause girls to be more promiscuous.
Ms. Fields apparently lives under a rock and hasn’t noticed the increased STDs or teenage pregnancies.
By Bull Moose
March 7, 2007 9:22 PM | Link to this
And SouthGAConservative, this matter has nothing to do with John McCain.