Message from Vistoria Cobb, President, The Family Foundation Late Wednesday evening I received a call from a local television station about a new report that reveals that the HPV vaccine Gardasil may be responsible for 16 deaths and thousands of adverse reactions just since May of last year.
You can watch the interview here:
http://www.votervoice.net/link/clickthrough/ext/126272.aspx
The citizen interest group Judicial Watch acquired FDA documents that reveal the problems with the vaccine. You can read their report here:
http://www.votervoice.net/link/clickthrough/ext/126273.aspx
In 2007 the General Assembly passed legislation over the objections of many that "requires" all girls entering the sixth grade in Virginia to receive the vaccine. The Family Foundation worked with legislators to include a broad parental "opt-out" provision so that no child can be forced to take the vaccine. Parents can simply say no. Efforts to repeal the law since 2007 have been unsuccessful largely because concerns over the drugs safety have not been substantiated.
A parental opt-out was included in the 2007 law because at that time there were serious concerns that the drug had not been tested sufficiently and that it could pose serious health risks to young girls who have to take a three-shot series of the vaccine several times over their lifetime to ensure effectiveness. Legislatures largely ignored those concerns as the manufacturer of the drug, Merck Pharmaceuticals, had worked to pave the way for the legislation behind the scenes.
In the coming days, The Family Foundation will be informing legislators of this new report and working to ensure that Virginia's children are protected.