Re: A Necessary Vaccine [NYT Editorial]
From: Henry Gregor (henrygregor@yahoo.com)
Mon Feb 26 19:33:00 2007
Fascinating editorial position for a paper that has been on record for decades in opposition to any governmental interference with a woman's right to choose what is or isn't done to her body, in particular re her reproductive systems. I wonder if anyone there even remotely thought of the irony.....what next, support for legal rules re what can or cannot be done for/to pregnant women ?....when I see stuff this droll, it makes me wish either Oscar Wilde or HL Mencken were still with us to share their incisive skills of observation and commentary. Perhaps Joe Queenan (author of Balsamic Dreams) will step up and pick up the challenge for our departed social observers.
Hank
Kim Elise Goldman <goldman@calweb.com> wrote:
Who paid for this editorial?
On Feb 26, 2007, at 3:09 PM, Dean Huffman . wrote:
> .
>
> Editorial in today's NY Times
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/26/opinion/26mon1.html
>
> - - - -
>
> A Necessary Vaccine
>
> Published: February 26, 2007
>
> Debate over a new vaccine to prevent cervical cancer and genital
> warts has
> reached a high pitch. State legislatures are debating whether to
> mandate the
> vaccine or insist that its use be kept voluntary. The manufacturer
> stopped a
> vigorous lobbying campaign lest it provoke more opposition than
> support. And
> some health professionals who had been championing the vaccine
> flinched at
> making it mandatory, at least for now.
>
> Even so, state legislatures should require that all young girls be
> given this
> vaccine, which protects against a virus that causes some 10,000 new
> cases of
> cervical cancer in the United States each year — and 3,700 cancer
> deaths.
>
> Three weeks ago we applauded Gov. Rick Perry for making Texas the
> first state to
> require vaccinating young schoolgirls — ages 11 and 12 — against
> the human
> papillomavirus. In the ensuing uproar, the Texas House has moved to
> overturn
> his order, but the Virginia Legislature has approved a similar
> mandate. Some 20
> states have bills pending to require the vaccinations for school
> attendance.
>
> We have endorsed a mandate because the vaccine — Merck’s Gardasil —
> looks highly
> effective against strains that cause 70 percent of all cervical
> cancer. With
> more than two million doses already distributed, the reported side
> effects have
> been mostly minor, such as dizziness or fainting. Many parents who
> oppose a
> mandate are aghast at the thought of vaccinating such young girls
> against a
> sexually transmitted disease. But the vaccine works only if taken
> before a girl
> becomes infected. Social conservatives object that the vaccine will
> encourage
> promiscuity, but it seems farfetched to believe that protection
> from cervical
> cancer will change any girl’s behavior. Others complain that a
> mandate will
> pre-empt parental rights to make health decisions, but all vaccine
> mandates do
> that, to protect the children and those they might infect.
>
> The strongest arguments against moving ahead quickly tend to be
> practical and
> financial. States have typically used school mandates for vaccines
> that are
> already in wide use, and it is possible that unexpected side
> effects could
> emerge (though any mandate could be suspended if that happened).
> Health
> professionals also need to be certain that there are stable
> supplies, adequate
> insurance coverage, ample public money to vaccinate low-income
> children and
> physician support.
>
> Merck deserves praise for developing Gardasil at a time when many
> companies shun
> the vaccine business as risky and unprofitable. But it is charging
> $360 for a
> three-dose regimen, a price that might come down if a competing
> vaccine enters
> the market soon, as expected.
>
> The vaccine could prevent thousands of new cases of cervical cancer
> annually and
> hundreds of thousands of cases of genital warts and precancerous
> growths. A
> mandate would force the health care system to get cracking. And it
> is the best
> way to ensure that all children get the vaccine, not just those who
> are aware
> of it and can afford it.
>
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