Kentucky Mamas, HB 143, HPV vaccinations MAJOR UPDATE POST #6!
Hi ladies,
I'm not very active on MDC anymore but have come to ask for those of you in Kentucky to e-mail your legislators and urge them to vote against HB 143 if it does come for a vote. I have been active in working against this bill and have talked with a couple of representatives that are also against it. The primary sponsor of the bill is woefully misinformed, as you can see on the episode of Kentucky Tonight that aired on KET late last month:
(scroll to HPV Immunizations and click on Online Video Available)
Unfortunately, if you watch the entire episode you will also see that our side is also a bit misinformed and ill prepared.
If you do not watch the video the main points that Rep. Stein makes is that she believes people are against this vaccine because it is for a sexually transmitted virus. This is not the case for many of us. She talks a lot about parents being able to opt out. What she is reffering to by the opt out is the religious and medical exemptions that the state provides. I have been in contact with Rep. Fischer who is appreard on the program and has been quite vocal about his opposition to the mandate. I am going to contact him and urge that he amend the bill to include a philosophical vaccine exemption. That way if the bill does pass at least parents who choose not to vaccinate and send their children to school have more options avialable to them.
I urge all of you to contact our state legislators and let them know that you oppose this vaccine and not because it is a sexually transmitted virus. You can e-mail all of the legislators at once using the e-mail address .
Thanks mamas!
^_^:
This bill has been revised and reintroduced as . The revision makes an exception to the requirement for a written sworn statement for vaccination exemption for the HPV vaccine only.
Exceptions to the requirement for a current immunization certificate for human papillomavirus shall be available for children whose parents exercise the right to withhold their consent for any reason. The form relating to exceptions for immunization for the human papillomavirus shall be made available to parents pursuant to subsection (2) of this section. Parental objection to immunization for human papillomavirus shall not require the written sworn statement required by subsection (1) of this section. It seems that they are also making it easier for parents to get the things they need for an exemption in general:
Any forms relating to exemption from immunization requirements pursuant to subsection (1) of this section shall be available to parents withholding their consent to immunization at public or private primary or secondary schools, preschool programs, day-care centers, certified family child-care homes, or other licensed facilities which care for children. I am still very much against this bill and will continue speaking out against it to anybody that will listen. Stupid Merck.
^_^:
I live in Louisville and will be contacting our "representatives" as you suggest.
You are 100% right (in thinking) with "Stupid Merck."
However, if you were CEO at Merck it's very smart. What better way to make a Billion dollars than to force people to take a new and unproven vaccine?
I also think Kentucky gets targeted because they know a significant portion of the population has no means to fight this bill. Kentucky has one of the highest rates of Medicaid utilization (and thus profits for pharma) in the Nation.
(I work for big pharma...sorry) I have seen the good and the bad of my industry. We do provide life-saving medications to those who cannot afford it. The flip-side is, to make up for that...things like this.
I live quite the dichotomas life. (sp?)
^_^:
The Bill has been changed to HB 345. It does allow for an easier exemption against this particular shit but I still don't think this should be mandated. I have been e-mailing as many people as I can think of and was interviewed by WYMT news this afternoon. The full story will appear on the 6:30 (usually 6 PM) newscast and a shorter version at 11 PM. It may be shown on WKYT too. I will come back and post a link once it is online.
^_^:
Here is a link to the story that aired on WYMT news tonight.
The interview that I gave was much more in depth and raised a lot of great points. I realize that they are pressed for time and have to edit but I wish that they could have included a little bit more. I am pleased that they didn't make me look like an idiot and the overall tone of the story is against the requirement that the sponsors of the bill are seeking.
I am going to start planning my next steps against this bill. I plan to fight against it until the bill either dies or is passed.
^_^:
The Health & Welfare committee of the KY House met today and Houe Bill 345 was amended. The amendment deletes all of the original provisions of the bill and makes the HPV vaccine VOLUNTARY. It also has a provision to have health departments create an HPV awareness program. For more information you can read up here:
I am so thrilled that this vaccine will not be forced on Kentucky's girls!
ETA: Well crap, I talked to someone who is attending the session today and he told me the amendment does not remove the mandate. I'm not exactly sure what is going on but I am going to try to figure it all out.
^_^:
KY government at it's best...
Thanks for the updates.
More Topical:
I'm not very active on MDC anymore but have come to ask for those of you in Kentucky to e-mail your legislators and urge them to vote against HB 143 if it does come for a vote. I have been active in working against this bill and have talked with a couple of representatives that are also against it. The primary sponsor of the bill is woefully misinformed, as you can see on the episode of Kentucky Tonight that aired on KET late last month:
(scroll to HPV Immunizations and click on Online Video Available)
Unfortunately, if you watch the entire episode you will also see that our side is also a bit misinformed and ill prepared.
If you do not watch the video the main points that Rep. Stein makes is that she believes people are against this vaccine because it is for a sexually transmitted virus. This is not the case for many of us. She talks a lot about parents being able to opt out. What she is reffering to by the opt out is the religious and medical exemptions that the state provides. I have been in contact with Rep. Fischer who is appreard on the program and has been quite vocal about his opposition to the mandate. I am going to contact him and urge that he amend the bill to include a philosophical vaccine exemption. That way if the bill does pass at least parents who choose not to vaccinate and send their children to school have more options avialable to them.
I urge all of you to contact our state legislators and let them know that you oppose this vaccine and not because it is a sexually transmitted virus. You can e-mail all of the legislators at once using the e-mail address .
Thanks mamas!
^_^:
This bill has been revised and reintroduced as . The revision makes an exception to the requirement for a written sworn statement for vaccination exemption for the HPV vaccine only.
Exceptions to the requirement for a current immunization certificate for human papillomavirus shall be available for children whose parents exercise the right to withhold their consent for any reason. The form relating to exceptions for immunization for the human papillomavirus shall be made available to parents pursuant to subsection (2) of this section. Parental objection to immunization for human papillomavirus shall not require the written sworn statement required by subsection (1) of this section. It seems that they are also making it easier for parents to get the things they need for an exemption in general:
Any forms relating to exemption from immunization requirements pursuant to subsection (1) of this section shall be available to parents withholding their consent to immunization at public or private primary or secondary schools, preschool programs, day-care centers, certified family child-care homes, or other licensed facilities which care for children. I am still very much against this bill and will continue speaking out against it to anybody that will listen. Stupid Merck.
^_^:
I live in Louisville and will be contacting our "representatives" as you suggest.
You are 100% right (in thinking) with "Stupid Merck."
However, if you were CEO at Merck it's very smart. What better way to make a Billion dollars than to force people to take a new and unproven vaccine?
I also think Kentucky gets targeted because they know a significant portion of the population has no means to fight this bill. Kentucky has one of the highest rates of Medicaid utilization (and thus profits for pharma) in the Nation.
(I work for big pharma...sorry) I have seen the good and the bad of my industry. We do provide life-saving medications to those who cannot afford it. The flip-side is, to make up for that...things like this.
I live quite the dichotomas life. (sp?)
^_^:
The Bill has been changed to HB 345. It does allow for an easier exemption against this particular shit but I still don't think this should be mandated. I have been e-mailing as many people as I can think of and was interviewed by WYMT news this afternoon. The full story will appear on the 6:30 (usually 6 PM) newscast and a shorter version at 11 PM. It may be shown on WKYT too. I will come back and post a link once it is online.
^_^:
Here is a link to the story that aired on WYMT news tonight.
The interview that I gave was much more in depth and raised a lot of great points. I realize that they are pressed for time and have to edit but I wish that they could have included a little bit more. I am pleased that they didn't make me look like an idiot and the overall tone of the story is against the requirement that the sponsors of the bill are seeking.
I am going to start planning my next steps against this bill. I plan to fight against it until the bill either dies or is passed.
^_^:
The Health & Welfare committee of the KY House met today and Houe Bill 345 was amended. The amendment deletes all of the original provisions of the bill and makes the HPV vaccine VOLUNTARY. It also has a provision to have health departments create an HPV awareness program. For more information you can read up here:
I am so thrilled that this vaccine will not be forced on Kentucky's girls!
ETA: Well crap, I talked to someone who is attending the session today and he told me the amendment does not remove the mandate. I'm not exactly sure what is going on but I am going to try to figure it all out.
^_^:
KY government at it's best...
Thanks for the updates.
More Topical: