Excerpt from the Daily Kos (for full article visit http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/09/14/1016839/-On-Rick-Perry,-Michele-Bachmann-and-the-HPV-vaccine):
Vaccines save lives. The HPV vaccine in particular attacks cancer through it's infectious source and will save the lives of thousands. It is the forerunner of a new approach to disease prevention; an approach that has enormous promise to save millions of lives in the future and be part of our 21st century tool chest to end cancer as we know it. Some vaccines should be required, as we do for some of our childhood vaccines. however the decision to mandate the vaccine in Texas did not go through an appropriate public policy decision making process, and we are now seeing the negative political and social ramifications of that decision.
We have in place several mechanisms to give policy makers sound advice to aid them in their decisions that effect the health of our citizens. National Groups like the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP), the Institute of Medicine as well as professional groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics or the American Public Health Association are available to give sound professional advice. Many local affiliates of these and other groups are also available. They bring a evidence based approach that brings credibility to the policy making process. Policy makers would be wise to seek their guidance and craft both their policy approaches and their remarks accordingly.
Georges C. Benjamin,MD
Joan H. Tisch Distinguished Fellow in Public Health
Adjunct Professor, Hunter College
Executive Director
American Public Health Association