TUCSON, Ariz., March 18, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Connecticut is considering legislation to end the religious exemption for mandated vaccines and to mandate human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines for pre-teens, reports the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS). There is a nationwide push to require this vaccine. Rhode Island, Virginia, and District of Columbia currently require it for school attendance.
The vaccine is touted as an “anti-cancer” vaccine because it covers most strains of wart viruses that are implicated in causing cancer of the cervix—or cancers of the vulva, throat, or anus.
“Cervical cancer is a sexually transmitted disease,” states AAPS executive director, Jane M. Orient, M.D. “HPV is not transmitted by coughing or sneezing or being in class with infected persons.”
“The HPV vaccine does not protect against other, more serious consequences of sexual promiscuity, such as herpes, syphilis, AIDS, gonorrhea, hepatitis, and chlamydia. The last may cause an asymptomatic infection that scars the tubes and destroys fertility. HPV causes unsightly warts that usually clear up on their own. And women still have to get Pap smears or other methods of screening for cervical cancer, even if vaccinated,” Dr. Orient stated.
Vaccinated women are showing reduced rates of HPV infection and of cervical dysplasia (abnormal, precancerous cells), but in some areas, invasive cervical cancer has actually increased, according to oncologist Gérard Delépine, M.D.
Serious events that have followed HPV vaccination include crippling, likely permanent neurological damage and nearly 500 deaths internationally.
Merck’s Gardasil vaccine costs $570 or more for three doses if paid out of pocket. Many insurers and government health programs pay for it. “Legislators need to investigate promoters for conflicts of interest,” Dr. Orient suggests.
The oft-cited legal precedent for the constitutionality of state vaccine mandates is the 1905 case of Jacobson v. Massachusetts. This law was passed during an epidemic of smallpox, an extremely contagious disease with a mortality of about 30 percent. The opinion contained “robust cautionary language,” calling attention to the potential for “arbitrary and oppressive” abuse of police power and warning against going “far beyond what was reasonably required for the safety of the public.” States have disregarded these cautions in vastly expanding mandates, writes Mary Holland of NYU School of Law.
AAPS supports the right of patients to make an informed choice about their medical treatment, including vaccines.
The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) is a national organization representing physicians in all specialties, founded in 1943. Its motto is “omnia pro aegroto,” or “all for the patient.”
Contact: Jane M. Orient, M.D., (520) 323-3110, janeorientmd@gmail.com