Drug Company Drops Effort To Require Cervical Cancer Vaccine

[buttrfli]

Oklahoma City (AP) - An effort to require 11- and 12-year-old girls in Oklahoma to get a cervical cancer vaccine is apparently dead in the state Legislature.

The drug company Merck and Company is suspending its lobbying campaign to get legislators to pass a law requiring girls to get the shots as a requirement for school attendance.

Oklahoma Pharmacists Association director Phil Woodward says Merck is making a good decision because the vaccine could have side effects on girls younger than 16. Woodward also says the drug is currently too expensive.

The vaccine includes the drug Gardasil and helps prevent cervical cancer and genital warts. But recent reports say some women suffer side effects including dizziness and fainting.

http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0207/399939.html

[stresseater]

(Insert standing ovation smiley here) ;) :D :D

[tngirl]

Wow, :eek: that happened faster than I expected. What happened to "there are no side effects"? I wonder what other side effects they will come up with as they test the vaccine.

[Jolie Rouge]

Merck just said they would stop lobbying - they are still pushing this behind the scenes. They were getting lots of negative press, but this is worth BILLIONS if they can get this as a "requirement" for all the states.

[buglebe]

There has to be a stopping point with what the government can require. To require girls to get this immunization when they don't know what it will do to them 25 yrs from now when they decide to have children is criminal. I understand that now if a child is said to be ADHD the parents can be forced to give the child medicine for this. Where were all the ADHD children when I was in school 50 years ago? I just don't believe there are that many children out there needing meds. Sorry I got off topic. But it seems it would be wrong morally for the drug companies themselves to be promoting immunizations for children.

[CAMSmama]

I understand that now if a child is said to be ADHD the parents can be forced to give the child medicine for this. Where were all the ADHD children when I was in school 50 years ago? I just don't believe there are that many children out there needing meds. Sorry I got off topic. But it seems it would be wrong morally for the drug companies themselves to be promoting immunizations for children.

I was one of those forced to put my then four yes, FOUR YEAR OLD, on ritalin, now he's 19 and (well, since he was 10, ) he has Tourette's syndrome which is listed as a MINOR side effect of ritalin.

[nightrider127]

Where were all the ADHD children when I was in school 50 years ago? I just don't believe there are that many children out there

I have often wondered about this myself. It seems that in some cases, ADHD is used as an excuse for bad behavior. Now I am not saying that all people who are said to have ADHD, I know some adults and children who have this problem. It just seems like there is so many cases of ADHD these days.

[nightrider127]

I was one of those forced to put my then four yes, FOUR YEAR OLD, on ritalin, now he's 19 and (well, since he was 10, ) he has Tourette's syndrome which is listed as a MINOR side effect of ritalin.

I am so sorry this happened to your son and you.