13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |HPV vaccine bill watered down

HPV vaccine bill watered down

Indianapolis - A Senate committee watered down a bill Wednesday that would have vaccinated most sixth-grade girls against a sexually transmitted disease that can cause cervical cancer, a move designed to address concerns from some family groups.

The new version of the legislation would send home information about the link between human papillomavirus, or HPV, and cervical cancer and would tell parents that an HPV vaccine is available.

The amended version pleased some opponents who wanted parents to have more choice over whether their children were vaccinated. But supporters of the original plan noted parents could have opted out of the vaccine and that girls would not have been prevented from enrolling in school without it.

"It seems to me that parent has a choice either way," said Sen. Gary Dillon, R-Columbia City.

The revised bill passed the Senate Health Committee 11-0 and now moves to the full Senate for consideration.

Bill sponsor Sen. Connie Lawson, R-Danville, said she thought most parents would get their daughters the vaccine, which is given as a series of three shots over six months.

"This bill is about saving the lives of Hoosier women," Lawson said.

Gardasil, made by Merck and approved by the federal government in June, protects girls and women against strains of HPV that are responsible for most cases of cervical cancer. A government advisory panel has recommended that all girls get the shots at 11 and 12, before they are likely to be sexually active.

At least 18 states are debating whether to require the vaccine, but no state has yet to add Gardasil to the list of vaccinations youngsters must have under law to be enrolled in school. Merck has taken criticism for its role in lobbying state governments to pass laws requiring the vaccinations.

Some conservatives and parents'-rights groups say such requirements would encourage premarital sex and could interfere with the way parents raise their children.

Indiana Health Commissioner Judy Monroe dismissed arguments that the vaccine would promote promiscuity.

"There's no evidence that seat belts have increased reckless driving," she noted. "There's no evidence that when we get tetanus shots, we seek rusty nails."

The watered-down bill displeased some advocates, who said lawmakers needed to do more.

Kelsey Kauffman, who has worked with low-income children in Greencastle, said children with irresponsible parents are more likely to be sexually active at an early age and could be exposed to HPV. But because their parents often are not very involved in their lives, the chances of them getting a non-mandated vaccine are lower than other children, she said.

"My concern is that the children that we most want to cover are the ones who are least likely to get the vaccine," she said.

Some opponents of the original bill questioned the safety of the vaccine and said more studies should be done.

Monica Boyer, with Indiana Voice for the Family, said Merck stands to make billions from the vaccine if states require it. Several health officials who spoke for the bill Wednesday had done business with Merck in the past, although they said Merck did not urge them to speak in support of the bill.

Lawson said it didn't matter who makes the vaccine.

"Have you ever dreamt that someday we might have a vaccine against cancer? And it's here," Lawson said. "What difference does it make what company makes it? If it's there, and if it's available, why wouldn't we want to protect the health of Hoosier women?"

Indiana's health commissioner agreed.

"To have a vaccine that prevents cancer is a milestone in public health," Monroe said. "We have eradicated smallpox. We have almost eradicated polio, at least in this country. We have an opportunity now to eradicate cervical cancer, and we should all join together to do so."

(Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)