For those interested in the facts about cervical cancer and Gardisil

[Horse with no Name]

The inflammatory rhetoric that keeps rearing its head from RW sites is very frustrating.
What has to be kept in perspective...is that ANYTIME we talk about women's reproductive choices...it has to remain exactly that.
A choice. In the case of New Hampshire and South Dakota, they are making it easy. In the case of Texas, not so easy.
Mandatory means nothing except that every women who wants the vaccine can get it. Those that don't can simply opt out.
I don't know why this is hard to understand.
I would not entertain the thought that "I" should tell every woman to get the vaccine or force any parent to vaccinate their child against their will. I doubt anyone who is pro-vaccine will.
I take Rick Perry completely out of the equation. He is a scumbag.

As the data below clearly shows:

HPV-->minority women-->minority women under 18
Poverty-->minority women-->minority women under 18

However, Planned Parenthood (an organization that has protected woman for years) is for this vaccine:

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/news-articles-press/politics-policy-issues/HPV-Immunization.htm
>>>>snip
New York, NY — Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) today urged the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to recommend widespread human papilloma virus (HPV) immunization as the path toward eradicating cervical cancer in future generations. PPFA encouraged ACIP to recommend that girls 11 to 12 years of age be vaccinated and that all young women up to age 26 should also be immunized. To ensure that the HPV vaccine will be widely accessible, PPFA asked that the HPV vaccine be included in the Vaccine for Children program. Following is the PPFA statement presented to ACIP today by Emily Stewart, PPFA Regulatory and Policy Analyst.

Remarks of Emily Stewart, Regulatory and Policy Analyst
Before the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
June 29, 2006

It is an honor and a pleasure to represent Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. during this meeting where decisions will be made about who will be able to access the first vaccine to prevent cervical cancer and external genital warts. My remarks incorporate the comments of Dr. Vanessa Cullins, Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dr. Jeffery Waldman, Senior Medical Director for PPFA, both of whom regret that they are unable to attend.

As you are aware, the HPV vaccine-coupled with cervical cancer screening programs, early detection, and treatment-has enormous potential to impact public health. This potential can only be realized if those who need the vaccine are provided access to it. We recognize that enabling easy access to the HPV vaccine is no small feat, but we draw your attention to those immunization strategies that have had the greatest success — that is, those strategies that allow for herd immunity and are executed through a strategy of vaccination of all (such as smallpox), or those that are have been made a prerequisite for school admission. Access to the vaccine should be a public health priority.

Given the high cost of the HPV vaccine-at approximately $360 for the series, it is the most expensive vaccine ever-recommending routine immunization is critical to making the vaccine accessible. By doing so, you ensure coverage by private health insurers and government vaccination programs. In this vein, we strongly encourage you to include the HPV vaccine in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program. Under VFC, the HPV vaccine should be made available to all previously unvaccinated youth from 11 through 18 years of age.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The World Health Organization approves the vaccine and puts forth some pretty grim statistics. Worldwide, they state that HALF A MILLION WOMEN A YEAR DEVELOP CERVICAL CANCER and HALF of those DIE.
That is 250,000 women A YEAR that will die of cervical cancer. That is an incredible number of women who will die from this disease.
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/85/2/07-020207/en/index.html
>>>>>snip
As of the end of 2006, the vaccine had been approved in 49 countries worldwide, with more expected to join the list this year. The quadrivalent vaccine gives 100% protection against infection from HPV types 16 and 18, which are responsible for around 70% of all cervical cancers. It also protects against HPV types 6 and 11 that cause genital warts. GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals applied to the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products for international regulatory approval in March 2006 to market its bivalent vaccine Cervarix for HPV types 16 and 18.

"There are challenges for countries in terms of cost and so on, but this vaccine is unique and offers tremendous possibilities."
Dr Teresa Aguado, WHO’s coordinator for the Initiative for Vaccine Research, Product Research and Development team.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been developing information that countries can use to formulate their policies on HPV vaccination.

“Vaccines have been tested in North America, Latin America, Europe, to some extent in Asia, but not in Africa yet,” said Dr Teresa Aguado, WHO’s coordinator for the Initiative for Vaccine Research, Product Research and Development team.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/jan07immsch.htm
>>>>snip
CHICAGO - The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued the recommended 2007 childhood immunization schedule for the United States. The statement was approved by the AAP, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

The 2007 schedule includes the following major changes:

* Oral rotavirus vaccine for universal administration to all infants at 2, 4, and 6 months of age.
* Universal administration of a second dose of varicella vaccine at 4 to 6 years of age.
* The age range for universal annual administration of influenza vaccine has been expanded to children 6 to 59 months of age and those in close contact with children 0 to 59 months of age.
* Human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) for girls 11 to 12 years of age, including catch-up immunization of girls 13 to 18 years of age. This vaccine prevents most cases of cervical cancer and genital warts, (AAP’s formal recommendation for HPV vaccine to be released soon.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speaking of the incidence of HPV in minority women:
http://www.4woman.gov/minority/hispanicamerican/cc.cfm
>>>snip
Hispanic/Latina women have the highest rates of new cases of cervical cancer and the second highest death rate from cervical cancer (behind African American women). In fact, Hispanic/Latina women are about one and a half times as likely as White women to die from cervical cancer. One reason for this is that Hispanic/Latina women have low rates of Pap testing. It is thought that as many as 80 percent of these deaths could be prevented by regular Pap screening and patient follow-up. There are things you can do to reduce your risk. Limit your sex partners and always use latex condoms.

Almost all cervical cancers are caused by two types of human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that is spread through sex. Other types of HPV can cause genital warts. Many types of HPV do not cause problems at all. HPV can’t be cured, but you can talk about treatment options with your doctor if abnormal cells grow.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speaking of Texas population and the increasing "minority" population:
http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/research/dssi/PopStats/ProjectionsTX_GenderRace.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speaking of poverty:
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/002484.html
Overview

* The number of people below the official poverty thresholds numbered 35.9 million in 2003, or 1.3 million more than in 2002, for a 2003 poverty rate of 12.5 percent. Although up from 2002, this rate is below the average of the 1980s and 1990s.
* The poverty rate and number of families in poverty increased from 9.6 percent and 7.2 million in 2002 to 10.0 percent and 7.6 million in 2003. The corresponding numbers for unrelated individuals in poverty in 2003 were 20.4 percent and 9.7 million (not different from 2002).
* As defined by the Office of Management and Budget and updated for inflation using the Consumer Price Index, the average poverty threshold for a family of four in 2003 was $18,810; for a family of three, $14,680; for a family of two, $12,015; and for unrelated individuals, $9,393.

Race and Hispanic Origin

* In 2003, among people who reported a single race, the poverty rate for non-Hispanic whites was 8.2 percent, unchanged from 2002. Although non-Hispanic whites had a lower poverty rate than other racial groups, they accounted for 44 percent of the people in poverty.
* For blacks, neither the poverty rate nor the number in poverty changed between 2002 and 2003. People who reported black as their only race, for example, had a poverty rate of 24.4 percent in 2003.
* Among those who indicated Asian as their only race, 11.8 percent were in poverty in 2003, up from 10.1 percent in 2002. The number in poverty also rose, from 1.2 million to 1.4 million. For the population that reported Asian, regardless of whether they also reported another race, the rate and the number increased to 11.8 percent and 1.5 million.
* Among Hispanics, the poverty rate remained unchanged, at 22.5 percent in 2003, while the number in poverty increased from 8.6 million in 2002 to 9.1 million in 2003.
* The poverty rate of American Indians and Alaska natives did not change when comparing two-year averages for 2001-2002 and 2002-2003.
* The three-year average poverty rate for people who reported American Indian and Alaska native as their only race (23.2 percent) was not different from the rates for blacks or Hispanics. It was higher than the rate for non-Hispanic whites who reported only one race. The three-year average poverty rate for people who reported American Indian and Alaska native, regardless of whether they also reported another race (20.0 percent), was lower than the rates for blacks or Hispanics and higher than the rate for non-Hispanic whites who reported only one race.

Age

* For all children under 18, the poverty rate increased from 16.7 percent in 2002 to 17.6 percent in 2003. The number in poverty rose, from 12.1 million to 12.9 million.
* Neither people 18 to 64 years old nor those age 65 and over experienced a change in their poverty rate, 10.8 percent and 10.2 percent in 2003, respectively.

States

* The poverty rate for Arkansas (18.5 percent) — although not different from the rates for New Mexico, Mississippi, Louisiana, West Virginia and the District of Columbia — was higher than the rates for the other 45 states when comparing three-year average poverty rates for 2001 to 2003. Conversely, New Hampshire’s rate (6.0 percent) — though not different from the rate for Minnesota — was lower than those of the other 48 states and the District of Columbia.
* Seven states — Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Virginia — showed increases in their poverty rates based on two-year moving averages (2001-2002 and 2002-2003), while two states — Mississippi and North Dakota — showed decreases.