California Family Minute

September 9, 2011

Sexually-transmitted Disease and Parent Knowledge

Today is the deadline for California’s Assembly and Senate to submit legislative bills to Governor Jerry Brown for signature into law or veto. One bill already on the governor’s desk is Assembly Bill (AB) 499, which would permit children as young as 12 to receive medical treatment specific to sexually transmitted disease (STD) outside the knowledge of their parents or guardians.

Aside from AB 499’s language to keep parents in the dark, there is another deeply troubling truth. The motivation behind AB 499 is the promotion of a particular drug - Gardasil - which claims to limit the potential for symptoms caused by an STD called the Human Papillomavirus (HPV).

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) web site, the body’s immune system commonly clears the virus naturally within two years. However, symptoms that are most common are genital warts in both women and men, and HPV is considered the leading cause of cervical cancer in 12,000 new cases each year.

Based on the opportunity to treat symptoms and potentially fend off cancer, many readers may be asking, “What’s the beef?” There are three significant objections:

1. The authority of parents is disregarded
2. The safety of the treatment is in question
3. The cost of treatment goes to taxpayers

School districts will be more strongly encouraged to market the Gardasil vaccination as a preventative measure. Some parents may agree with prescribing Gardasil to their child, but many parents will not, and that is a primary issue. The decision of whether a child receives a vaccination of any kind must remain in the hands of parents.

A private investigative organization, Judicial Watch, takes exception to Gardasil due to alleged side effects of fainting, Guillain Barre syndrome, and death. Many believe that Gardasil was rushed to market without adequate testing.

CalWatchdog is another independent organization that has tracked the amount of campaign donations by Merck Pharmaceutical - the creator of Gardasil - to state legislators.  What is the best way to market a product that many parents are choosing to ignore? Bypass parental involvement via law.

If Governor Brown signs AB 499 into law, the consequences will include the government’s further intrusion into family life and the care of children, and the incremental move to ultimately mandate this vaccination for all children attending public school. Until now, only illnesses contracted innocently from unseen bacteria and viruses have brought mandatory vaccinations. On the contrary, the human papillomavirus almost always results from consensual sexual activity.

To voice your opinion to Governor Brown regarding AB 499 by:

• calling his office at 916-445-2841, or
• sending a fax to 916-558-3160.