Family Research Council president Tony Perkins dedicated his radio alert today to blasting a plan to help girls receive the HPV vaccine…in California. The issue of HPV vaccination has been dominating the Republican primary since Michele Bachmann attacked Rick Perry for his executive order mandating the vaccine for Texas schoolgirls and for his close ties to the vaccine manufacturer Merck. While the executive order was ultimately overturned by the state legislature, Perry’s decision is facing more scrutiny on the national level.
Curiously, Perkins doesn’t mention Perry’s decision as he attacks legislation in California that, unlike Perry’s plan, isn’t a mandate. According to Capital Public Radio, the bill would ensure that “adolescents 12 and older would be able to receive the HPV vaccine and an HIV exposure medication without parental consent.” Perkins decries the bill as “a shot at parents’ rights,” but is strangely silent the Perry plan, which would have gone even farther:
In California, leaders are using a vaccine to take a shot at parents’ rights. Hello, I’m Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. Out in California, the state legislature just passed a bill that would let kids get vaccinated without their parents’ knowledge or consent. Leaders argue that children should be protected from sexually transmitted diseases like HPV. But parents don’t think that’s the government’s decision to make. Now, don’t get me wrong. We’re thrilled that scientists might have found a drug to stop cervical cancer. But this debate isn’t about whether we want to protect our children from disease, but whether we want the government making decisions for our kids. The bill’s been squeaking by without much media attention, but now that it’s just a signature away from becoming law, families are outraged. Parents–not arbitrary politicians–should be the ultimate authority on their child’s health. Check our pamphlet, “Gardasil: What Every Parent Should Know” at frc.org. The last thing we need in the vaccine debate is to inject more government interference!
