Michele Bachmann Defends HPV Vaccine Comments, Goes After Rick Perry (VIDEO)

Michele Bachmann went after Rick Perry again during the GOP debate Thursday night for his 2007 executive order mandating that young girls receive the vaccine against HPV, a sexually transmitted disease that is the leading cause of cervical cancer.

She distanced herself slightly, however, from the claim that the vaccine could cause mental retardation. Host Chris Wallace pointed out to Bachmann that medical professionals believe the vaccine is very safe.

"I didn't make that claim, nor did I make that statement," Bachmann said. "Immediately after a debate a mother came up to me, and she was visibly shaken and heartbroken because of what her daughter had gone through. I only related what her story was."

She added that Perry "gave parental rights to a big drug company. That big drug company gave him campaign contributions and hired his former chief of staff to lobby him to benefit the big drug company. That's what was wrong with that picture."

Perry replied that he was lobbied on the issue -- by a 31-year-old woman who had stage four cervical cancer and supported the mandatory vaccination.

Perry repeated that he now believes it should have been an opt-in program -- instead of an opt-out one -- but he still had "erred on the side of life."

ABC News points out, however, that Perry befriended the woman he cites, Heather Burcham, after he issued the executive order.

Perry has received at least $23,500 in campaign contributions from the drugmaker Merck, which manufactures the HPV vaccine.

HuffPost's Jason Cherkis and Paul Blumenthal found that Merck wasn't the only firm to benefit from hiring an ex-Perry staffer.

Merck began a state-by-state push to get governments to adopt HPV vaccine mandates after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the vaccine for use in 2006. The company stood to make hundreds of millions of dollars if its mandate drive succeeded. They hired top lobbyists in a number of states. In Texas, Merck naturally came to Toomey.

"Absolutely Mike [Toomey] convinced [Perry] on that," Bill Miller, a founding partner of the Austin lobbying powerhouse HillCo Partners told HuffPost. The firm has done work on behalf of top-tier conservative donors, such as Houston construction mogul and swift-boat funder Bob Perry (no relation) and Koch Industries. "Maybe he personally believes in that ... Mike played an influential role. It's just the way I read it, the nature of the deal."

Amid widespread outrage over Toomey's lobbying -- and fervent opposition from religious conservatives who opposed the order on the belief that it encouraged promiscuity among young teens -- the Texas legislature repealed Perry's order in a near unanimous vote. Despite the ultimate failure to enact the vaccine mandate, Merck still retains Toomey as a lobbyist and has paid him contracts worth between $250,000 and $560,000 from 2004 through 2011.

 

 

Comments

[thirdcloud]

09:45 PM on 09/23/2011

Perry's defense is shameful when you dig past the transparancy of his claim. First I encourage you to watch the Fox video that immediately followed. His friends attempt to vouch for his motivations. You will see a last day's plea from Heather Burcham the woman he refers to:

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1161776336001/cancer-victims-friends-defend-gov-perry-over-hpv-vaccine/

Then ask yourself what was the real purpose, who paid for and how was that video intended to be used. Then ask yourself if Fox is anything less than complicit in this campaign to mislead the public. SHAME!

The entire matter speaks to the willingness to say and do anything even in the name of the dead. SHAME!!!!

http://www.chicagonow.com/sheffield-gazette-digital-fish-wrap/2011/09/texas-governor-perry%e2%80%99s-gardasil-end-run/

[thirdcloud]

08:56 PM on 09/23/2011

On the dark side, Bachmann showed herself to be unelectable in "reporting" that Gardasil had the potential to cause retardation.

But, on the other hand she did have it right about Perry's former staffer-turned-lobbyist Mike Toomey who, as noted, was Perry’s former chief of staff and a Merck lobbyist before and after he worked for Perry. Recently, Toomey co-founded a “super” political action committee that is expected to wage an expensive independent expenditure effort on Perry’s behalf in the 2012 presidential campaign.

Deceased, Heather Burcham was the un-named person Perry claimed that lobbied him you can see a follow up Fox interview which uses two of Perry's friends to vouch for his motivations.

Most importantly, Perry was reckless issuing an "executive order" within only months of it's FDA approval and in attempting an end run on the Texas legislature. Merck was caught funneling money through a third party to lobby state legislatures.

In the case of Gardasil, mandating that 11-12 year old girls be vaccinated had minimal public health impact and clearly adds up to the "crony capitialism" conclusion.

Importantly, Perry first discovered the executive order after 5 years in office issuing 4 in 2005 and then 9 in 2006 which included the controversial HPV vaccine.

However you hatch this egg it goes against both of them.

http://www.chicagonow.com/sheffield-gazette-digital-fish-wrap/2011/09/texas-governor-perry%e2%80%99s-gardasil-end-run/

[conlawpara]

06:52 PM on 09/23/2011

"I didn't make that claim, nor did I make that statement," Bachmann said. "Immediately after a debate a mother came up to me, and she was visibly shaken and heartbroken because of what her daughter had gone through. I only related what her story was."

Liar, Liar, pants on fire.....perhaps Ms. Bachmann should review her past statements before she opens her mouth and inserts her foot, yet again.....

[mrfairoaks]

06:29 PM on 09/23/2011

I don't think Bachmann knows what the truth is. She thinks its something you make up. I think she really needs to listen to herself. She said herself, 'my husband makes all of the difficult decisions in our house"

[nowGo4ward]

04:42 PM on 09/23/2011

And please, everyone, pay no attention to the parent HPV DNA found in this vaccine:

http://sanevax.org/vaccine-watchdog-group-asks-fda-to-review-gardasil-for-possible-contamination/

"The reason for the tests, which SANE Vax said it instigated at the request of medical consumers, was because consumers 'are concerned that the recombinant DNA, if present, may have triggered some of the autoimmune-based inflammatory disorders and malignant tumors observed among children/young women after receiving Gardasil™ vaccinations,' according to the release."

[VirginiaDreaming]

04:53 PM on 09/23/2011

This is interesting, but the article just shows that there is recombinant DNA present, not that the DNA is responsible for any averse side effects. It should be looked at, but give the low incidence of adverse reactions it is not a reason to avoid the vaccine (yet).

[nowGo4ward]

07:16 PM on 09/23/2011

"Low incidence" of risk in exchange for a few years of theoretical protection? I'm not sure I can call this low incidence:

http://www.nvic.org/Downloads/NVICGardasilvsMenactraVAERSReportFeb-2009u.aspx

[RC81]

04:33 PM on 09/23/2011

I swear if I hear about those precious 23 foster kids of hers as a lead-in to another one of her beaten to death commentaries...

[VirginiaDreaming]

04:28 PM on 09/23/2011

Individual humans are quite unpredictable, but society as a whole is predictable. You can predict how many people will have a mild or severely negative reaction to a vaccine, but not which individuals will have a long term or life threatening reaction. However, if the cost of treating those reactions is not a significant fraction of the cost of treating the disease in the people who will get it, then we should proceed. I understand, that it is heart wrenching for each and every person who has a negative reaction to a vaccine. However, it is even more heart wrenching to consider all the people who are sickened or killed by the disease. People who opt out of vaccinations because it is their right, are often responsible for killing or maiming people beyond themselves or forcing us to pay for their treatment via higher insurance rates. All medical procedures have some risk, but when the rewards outweigh the risks, it may be worth it to push people to participate.

Ms. Bachmann's charges of crony capitalism true and should be investigated as much as possible. But as for the rest of her comments, repeating someone else's wrong or unproven statements doesn't make you less culpable for the damage those statements can cause. Repeating unchecked statements shows a lack of integrity and thoughtfulness. We want leaders who are thoughtful and have integrity, which implies that regardless of her political views, Ms. Bachmann is not fit to be president.

[ddanimal]

02:25 AM on 09/24/2011

The benefits of the HPV vaccine do not outweigh the risks. And the benefits are not proven at this point, in part because it takes decades for cervical cancer to develop, and the longest studies were only 4 years long. At this point, its not even proven that the vaccines prevent cervical cancer-they are only proven to prevent HPV infection for a relatively short period of time (less than 4 years).

[jened]

02:09 PM on 09/23/2011

Hang tough, Bachmann, there are many Gardasil-injured girls and you were absolutely within your right to point that out. That, and the fact of Perry's little conflict of interest.

[lacrosselamore]

04:35 PM on 09/23/2011

Har dee har har.

[ColleenHarper]

08:36 PM on 09/23/2011

Where is your data on girls injured by the Gardasil vaccine? I want published and reviewed studies by competent medical professionals who can rule out coincidence and other causes.

Produce or admit you're wrong, just as Bachmann is wrong.

[ddanimal]

02:26 AM on 09/24/2011

Here is an example:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21425100

[KEBLAAB]

02:02 PM on 09/23/2011

If Bachmann was the enemy of all the liberal pundits prior to Perry's formal announcement, why is she now, suddenly, the media darling?

[nb7264]

02:22 PM on 09/23/2011

Comic relief.

[johngary66]

04:25 PM on 09/23/2011

Yeah, better enjoy it now. Her ship is sinking fast. Would it hurt you guys to keep her busy long enough that it's to late for her to for Congress again? Come on, another eight months of wonderfully idiotic statements isn't going to hurt you. Lets bury this B-word for good. It's your duty to your country.

[Vantunow]

01:46 PM on 09/23/2011

She spoke the truth the first time.

CDC has reported in its own documents over 18K adverse reactions.

The establishment wants our kids to be drugged so anyone who challenges that is beaten down.

Too bad Micheal Bachman didn't hold her ground.

[TXLiberAL7]

03:53 PM on 09/23/2011

She wants to drill in the Everglades..Her and her teabagger friends caused our credit downgrade...Now she wants more young women to have cervical cancer. Her lies and fiction will likely result in mothers opting out of vaccination when they could be preventing HPV which is the NUMBER ONE risk factror for cervical cancer. I despise Rick Perry but he was absolutely right on this and probably saved more than one woman from cancer. Bachmann is a cancer.

[TXLiberAL7]

04:10 PM on 09/23/2011

out of over 35million doses and includes mostly minor reactions like discomfort at injection site, skin irritations...etc...You rather roll your daughters chances with cancer..go ahead...

[ddanimal]

04:36 PM on 09/23/2011

The reported reactions are MUCH more severe than that. Death and brain damage are examples:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21425100

[dmsdzinr]

01:45 PM on 09/23/2011

The CONservative paradigm these days: Always DOUBLE DOWN on DUMB!

[Independent1969]

01:39 PM on 09/23/2011

Bottom line is that vaccines cause harm. Drug manufacturers admit it as well as their friends in the medical community. More than a billion has been paid out by vaccine injury court with tax-payer money. Drug companies have been given immunity so it's the tax-payers who end up paying when a child is injured or worse.

So maybe we need to put our focus back on Perry who used an illegal executive order to force girls to take a useless and potentially dangerous vaccine injection.

http://vodpod.com/watch/15431879-the-dangers-of-gardasil-with-dr-russell-blaylock-12

[lacrosselamore]

04:37 PM on 09/23/2011

You are wong. On every count.

[Independent1969]

05:37 PM on 09/23/2011

Ok.

[ddanimal]

09:23 PM on 09/23/2011

No she isnt. See this
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21425100

[ColleenHarper]

08:49 PM on 09/23/2011

I am willing to grant that "vaccines cause harm" to a very small percentage of those who receive the vaccine.

I am NOT willing to grant that therefore vaccines are harmful and should be stopped.

Drug companies have been granted immunity because the realization of public good vastly outweighs the harm it may do to a fraction of a percentage of all recipients. The lives saved should be weighed in the results, which you clearly do not wish to recognize.

By your thinking, it would be far better for children to die or be paralyzed by polio. It would be better for this country to experience another worldwide flu pandemic like the Spanish Flu of 1918. It would be better for children to die of whooping cough. It would be far better for all these people receiving vaccinations to risk dying from preventable diseases.

And if Gardasil prevents cervical cancer in even 15% of women who would otherwise have contracted it, you would rather see those women suffer cancer than receive a vaccine that could save their lives.

I vote for life. I vote for vaccinations. We KNOW vaccinations have improved the survival rate of humankind from dozens of diseases that used to kill indiscriminately, especially children.

[ddanimal]

09:26 PM on 09/23/2011

The risk/benefit for polio vaccine is VASTLY different from the risk/benefit for the HPV vaccine. Its doubtful that the HPV vaccine is worth the risk. The risk is immediate, whiule the supposed benefit is 10-20-30 years down the road. Its not even known if the vaccine immunity lasts that long. Further, most women that get cervical cancer are over 50. Meanwhile, the severe adverse incidence is 0.05-0.1%, comparable to the supposed benefit from cancer. And there are indications that the HPV vaccine is much more dangerous that other vaccines. Risks include autoimmune disease, permanent brain damage and demyelinating diseases.

Its far from established tat the HPV vaccine is worth the risk.

Here is an example of the type of damage that can be caused by the HPV vaccine:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21425100

[ddanimal]

02:37 AM on 09/24/2011

""The risks of serious adverse events including death reported after Gardasil use in (the JAMA article by CDC's Dr. Barbara Slade) were 3.4/100,000 doses distributed. The rate of serious adverse events on par with the death rate of cervical cancer. Gardasil has been associated with at least as many serious adverse events as there are deaths from cervical cancer developing each year. Indeed, the risks of vaccination are underreported in Slade's article, as they are based on a denominator of doses distributed from Merck's warehouse. Up to a third of those doses may be in refrigerators waiting to be dispensed as the autumn onslaught of vaccine messages is sent home to parents the first day of school. Should the denominator in Dr. Slade's work be adjusted to account for this, and then divided by three for the number of women who would receive all three doses, the incidence rate of serious adverse events increases up to five fold. How does a parent value that information," said Harper. "

[omobob]

01:38 PM on 09/23/2011

"All I was doing is relaying what a woman had said," Bachmann told The Associated Press after touring a manufacturer in Waterloo. "I relayed what she said. I wasn't attesting to her accuracy. I wasn't attesting to anything."  and now "I didn't make that claim, nor did I make that statement," Bachmann said. "Immediately after a debate a mother came up to me, and she was visibly shaken and heartbroken because of what her daughter had gone through. I only related what her story was."

The logic is inescapable as "I never had sex with that woman". Hard to get through the political day without a large juicy rationalization and a turn of word definitions. Personally i think the dog ate her home work. omg.

[jened]

02:05 PM on 09/23/2011

You just don't like the fact that she called him out on it and was right. There are many, many parents who know that Gardasil harmed their child.

[omobob]

03:57 PM on 09/23/2011

> You just don't like the fact that she called him out on it and was right.

I don”’t like thete facty that Bachman has no facts, just here say. Personallyu , I am going with the word od the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration.
Fact Check: No evidence to suggest HPV vaccine causes 'mental retardation'
 there’s no evidence to suggest the vaccine causes mental retardation.
The CDC directed First Read to the side effects page for Gardasil. They include pain, redness, or swelling in the arm where the shot was given, mild-to-moderate fever, headache, or fainting.
Not surprisingly, there was nothing on mental retardation.
CDC spokeswoman Rita Chappelle said in an email, “The Institute of Medicine released a report on August 25 looking at adverse events from vaccines, including HPV. Rare cases of anaphylaxis was the only type of adverse event seen with HPV vaccine.”
That's a severe allergic reaction.
And the Food and Drug Administration and CDC also reported: “Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) has also been reported in individuals following vaccination with Gardasil.  GBS is a rare neurological disorder that causes muscle weakness.  It occurs spontaneously in unvaccinated individuals after a variety of specific infections.  FDA and CDC have reviewed the reports of GBS that have been submitted to VAERS.  To date, there is no evidence that Gardasil has increased the rate of GBS above that expected in the population.  While we continue to carefully analyze all
reports of GBS submitted to VAERS, the data do not currently suggest an association between Gardasil and GBS.”

The “mental retardation” argument is a rehash of the thoroughly discredited notion that vaccines containing thimerasol caused a rapid increase in diagnosed autism cases. That started with a badly-botched report in Lancet that allowed one researcher to manipulate a ridiculously small sample of twelve cases in order to reach far-sweeping conclusions about thimerasol. That preservative hasn’t been included in vaccines for years, at least not in the US, and the rate of autism diagnoses remain unchanged.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/13/7745847-fact-check-no-evidence-to-suggest-hpv-vaccine-causes-mental-retardation

[fanofariana]

01:36 PM on 09/23/2011

Be very very afraid. I recommend ALL to read it. P.ricky Perry is just after imposing a theocratic government and withdrawing the Constitution from this country:

http://www.texasobserver.org/cover-story/rick-perrys-army-of-god

[lawlibrarian]

01:26 PM on 09/23/2011

My daughter got the HPV vaccine (pretty painful, BTW) and, amazingly, she DIDN'T run out and have unprotected sex with five guys!!!!
To all you parents who want to control your teenagers....stop trying. TALK to your kids about sex, about how YOU feel and WHY. Maybe they'll take your advice and maybe they won't...but at least they might be a little better educated.
Would you people SERIOUSLY rather your child be diagnosed with a cancer that could have been prevented, if not for your "fears"????

[lacrosselamore]

04:39 PM on 09/23/2011

Some of these "religious" people think that cervical cancer is a just punnishment for sex. Really.

[lawlibrarian]

12:40 PM on 09/26/2011

I know. It's scary and disgusting and sad. I had a friend when I was young whose mother told her KISSING would make her pregnant. How does a parent who lies like that EVER expect her daughter to trust her again????