Professors Offer $11K For Proof of Bachmann’s HPV Vaccine Story
Perhaps one of the larger- if not the largest- indicator of the uniquely American religious influence on public policy amongst Western countries is the bizarre, large-scale opposition to the HPV vaccine, Gardasil.
The relatively irrelevant-to-politics controversy over the HPV vaccine has unsurprisingly become a wedge issue leading up to the 2012 election, another battleground in the “culture war” many conservatives seem to believe America is currently fighting. (It would probably do those types well to remember we’re actually fighting actual wars in which Americans die every day.) The issue was front and center during recent Republican debates, and many candidates are toting opposition to the vaccine as a campaign platform, perhaps to divert attention to lack of substance in other areas like economic strategy.
It’s probably also not a surprise that religulous Republican frontrunner Michelle Bachmann is leading the pack of know-nothings, hoisting up HPV vaccine opposition as if the position is something of which to be proud. If you’re not aware of the HPV vaccine’s existence, when administered at an early age, the shot provides later protection against cervical cancer caused by the human papilloma virus- also known as HPV. While the condition is technically a sexually transmitted disease, it can be contracted by any woman exposed- for instance, a marriage to a philandering or otherwise infected man provides no protection from painful and avoidable death from the disease, nor does infection during a rape.
Bachmann and her ilk oppose vaccination ostensibly on the grounds it gives license to a woman to be sexually promiscuous. But instead of presenting her concerns accurately during a recent debate, Bachmann framed her opposition as one based in worries about the vaccine’s safety:
“There’s a woman who came up crying to me tonight after the debate,” Bachmann said after the debate, where she had told Perry on stage that she was “offended” by his decision. “She said her daughter was given that vaccine. She told me her daughter suffered mental retardation as a result of that vaccine.” She repeated the story to several news outlets over the next 24 hours and sent a fundraising letter to supporters about the exchange she had with Perry on the debate stage.
Given the fact the HPV vaccine is relatively new, Bachmann could have caused real harm- and eventual death- by planting such a harmful notion with no indication the anecdote was true. Later, when pressed by Sean Hannity, she admitted that she did not know if the tale was accurate. It’s unlikely Bachmann herself will correct the misinformation, so two professors have stepped up and offered $11,000 if the woman in Bachmann’s story will step up and allow her claim to be verified- if she exists at all.
University of Michigan bioethics professor Steven Miles stepped forward and offered $1K if the woman is real, inspiring another professor to up the ante:
His offer was upped by his former boss from the University of Minnesota, Art Caplan, who is now director of the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics. Caplan said he would match Miles’ challenge and offered $10,000 for proof of the HPV vaccine victim.
“‘These types of messages in this climate have the capacity to do enormous public health harm,’” Miles said of why he made the offer. ‘The woman, assuming she exists, put this claim into the public domain and it’s an extremely serious claim and it deserves to be analyzed.’”
It will be interesting to see not only if Bachmann’s tale holds up- I largely suspect it will not- but more so whether she will man up and retract her claim based on the fact real, living women can eventually die if not protected by the HPV vaccine. In 2007, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 4,021 women in the United States alone died from the treatable disease.
Tags : cervical cancer, Gardasil, HPV vaccine, Michele Bachmann, michele bachmann HPV vaccine
Posted: September 15, 2011
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Sep 15, 2011
I have to doubt that this vaccine caused mental retardation in anyone, however I am against Government mandated vaccines, especially when there is an "opt out". It seems the rule is "you must get this vaccine…..unless you don't want to".
Sep 15, 2011
with science coming up with all kinds of ways to keep people alive.. there should be no more room in what 20 years or so.
Sep 15, 2011
I Love a good debate.
Sep 15, 2011
Those who refuse to allow their daughters to receive the vaccine may suffer from some mental deficiencies, however……
Sep 15, 2011
I don't know enough about this subject to give an educated answer. Let me say that Parry wanted to mandate this to line his pockets with Merck money.
Sep 15, 2011
I have serious concerns over the validity of Ms. Bachmanns "story" as well. Some nameless woman…as she said, "from Florida- I Think – came up to me crying, telling me about her daughter…") The mandate was in Texas, not in Florida. And if you opted out of the vaccine – you had to sign a waiver. I know, I live here in Texas. By pulling out this sad, sad story during the debate – It seems to me that Ms. Bachmann would like everyone to vote (for her) based on emotional issues instead of concentrating on some of the more seriously pressing issues our nation is facing – that apparently she had no "story" for….
Sep 15, 2011
Well said….Bachmann is a nut!
Sep 15, 2011
so is Perry.
Sep 15, 2011
Catherine Barros . I believe they are all in the same nutbag, together. Not one of them(so far) is giving any REAL solutions or even credible answers to the questions we are asking – just sound bites, bad photo ops and Sh*tslinging at each other while we slide on their skid marks to election day. Would be nice to hear a actual reply to a question instead of (1) ignoring the question (2) fingerpointing,& blamegaming (3) See # 1
Sep 15, 2011
Well she is figting to stay in the game and they are all picking on Perry right now. I like Bachmann personally but she can;t win on her own – but she is one of the few with any balls in DC to fight the crap that is going on. As far as the story – there are hundreds of cases on record about vacinnes (all of them) hurting kids.
Sep 15, 2011
the slant of this story isn't why i am against the hpv vaccine a la rick perry–bachmann is against it because "Bachmann and her ilk oppose vaccination ostensibly on the grounds it gives license to a woman to be sexually promiscuous." i think what is wrong about what perry did is using an executive order to force kids to get a vaccine that is not related to school safety. then again, we medicate our water with fluoride, why not dump in a few tankers of xanax and zoloft? but god forbid, we smoke a plant…
Sep 15, 2011
Bachmann's behavior in all of this is not only very reminiscent of her behavior during the healthcare reform debate (anybody remember her going on and on about the non-existent "death-panels?)
THIS is the problem with so many of the conservative argument, they are based on "I heard a guy telling someone else about this person whose friend lives next to someone who is abusing the government assistance program____" they take that as good enough to form policy around. A very smart person coined a phrase once, (I wish I knew who it was, I'd gladly give them credit) that strikes to the heart and summarizes perfectly "The plural of anecdote is not data". And unfortunately anecdotes become data to these people. Just like snow in December proves that global warming is a hoax right?
It's the height of irresponsibility for elected leaders to spread stories like this, and they really can have social impact. HPV DOES CAUSE CANCER. THE VACCINE DOES WORK. And when communicable diseases can be treated, YOU TREAT THEM! Does anyone think the injury to your social injustice bone is going to hurt more than cervical cancer? Get a grip, go visit a cancer center and ask how many would have welcomed some government intervention if it would have prevented just one chemotherapy treatment….then re-examine Bachmann's irresponsible statements.
Sep 15, 2011
Bachmann is a lying boob.
Sep 15, 2011
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Sep 18, 2011
The award-winning book "The HPV Vaccine Controversy: Sex, Cancer, God and Politics"- addresses all these issues.