As reported yesterday in Illinois Review and today in WorldNetDaily.com, former Republican National Committee Deputy Chairman and National Finance Co-chairman Jack Oliver is a lobbyist for Merck, the manufacturer pressing state legislatures to make its $360 HPV vaccine mandatory.
Oliver was the highest fundraiser in RNC history.
Could Oliver's influence have been another reason Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed his executive order mandating HPV vaccinations for all adolescent girls?
[Photo of Jack Oliver courtesy of The Hill.]
I'm truly convinced that the Governor believes that the vaccine, which would decrease abnormal paps followed by repeat paps, freezing, and cervical damage as well as deaths from cancer, is a protection that ought to be offered to Texas girls, since Texas already mandates Hepatitis B. His language about the rights of parents in the same Executive Order is much stronger than any of the other "opt out" statements in law or proposed bills.
There's also the question as to whether or not State funds can be used to provide the vaccine to the poor and uninsured if the vaccines are not mandated. In addition, mandatory vaccines are virtually guaranteed to become covered under health insurance plans.
I certainly hope that Texas moms and dads will go further and look at the vaccines that are produced by ethically questionable methods (unlike Gardasil)that are currently mandated in the State of Texas, and that they will make it easier than it currently is for parents who object to opt out.
Jack Oliver was never chairman of the RNC--
Curly - thanks for the correction. I've made the change. Oliver was Deputy Chair of the RNC and Finance Co-Chair.
Lifeethics - Time may or may not tell whether there was more to Perry's executive order than meets the eye. I'm from IL, where nothing is done politically for reasons that meet the eye.