The Legislature vs. the HPV vaccine

Looks like Gov. Rick Perry's order that all Texan pre-teen girls be vaccinated against HPV could be on its way out: Yesterday, members of the House Public Health Committee approved a measure to rescind the executive order, meaning the bill will move on for consideration in the full House, where it reportedly has the support of more than 90 of the House's 150 members.

Rep. Dennis Bonnen (R-Angleton) filed the bill Feb. 5, three days after Perry's order was announced requiring that girls get the HPV vaccine before entering the sixth grade. HPV, or human papillomavirus, is the generic name for more than 100 strains of viruses, more than 30 of which are sexually transmitted and some of which can lead to cervical cancer — the cancer risk was the reason that Perry pushed for the vaccine. Or was it? Perry got $6,000 from vaccine maker Merck's political action committee during his re-election campaign last year, and a Merck lobbyist was Perry's ex-chief of staff (Merck announced earlier this week that it will stop lobbying for the vaccine). Then there was the question of price: Though Gardasil, Merck's vaccine, costs $360, a number of doctors charge far more than that, and opponents said Perry's proposed $72 million for the vaccination program wouldn't cover the costs associated with storage, insurance, insurance nonpayment and other costs.

What the issue comes down to, Bonnen said, is that Texas needs a better health care system so women can have regular Pap smears that can give an early warning of cervical cancer. "I don't see the urgency in mandating a vaccine that's in the infancy of this phenomenal new research and technology to protect our lives," he told the Chronicle. But Rep. Jessica Farrar (D-Houston), who supports requiring the vaccine, said Pap smears don't catch all cervical cancer. "The bottom line is, the vaccine is going to protect young girls," she said. "This is something that incubates for 10 years."

A similar bill to Bonnen's was introduced in the Senate on Feb. 5 by Sen. Glenn Hegar (R-Katy) and is now being considered by the Senate's Health and Human Services Committee.