May 8, 2007 3:35 pm US/Central
Perry Won't Veto Bill Blocking HPV Order
AUSTIN (AP) ―
Governor Rick Perry says he won't veto a bill that would block state officials from following his order requiring an anti-cancer vaccine for schoolgirls.
Perry today defended his executive order requiring the human papilloma virus vaccine for sixth-grade girls starting in September of 2008.
But Perry acknowledged the overwhelming disdain of legislators for the mandate -- and says he'll allow the bill to become law without his signature.
Perry had until midnight to sign the bill, veto it, or let it become law without his signature.
A veto almost certainly would have been overridden by legislators, who've questioned the vaccine's safety, effectiveness and cost.
Critics also say the mandate intrudes on the lives of Texas families.
The bill would bar state officials from requiring the shots for four years. Then lawmakers could extend the ban or allow health officials to add H-P-V shots to the list of vaccinations required for school attendance.
The socially conservative Republican governor made national headlines in February when he issued the executive order requiring the human papillomavirus vaccine for sixth-grade girls starting in September 2008.
The vaccine protects girls and women against strains of the sexually transmitted virus that cause most cases of cervical cancer and genital warts. Merck & Co.'s Gardasil is the only HPV vaccine on the market.
The Legislature was outraged that Perry acted without consulting them, and prominent lawmakers promised to do whatever it took to overturn the order.
Gardasil protects against four strains of the sexually transmitted HPV infection. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the vaccine for girls and women ages 9 to 26.
About half of all men and women are infected with HPV at some point in their lives, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency recommends that girls get the vaccine when they are 11 or 12 so they will have immunity before they become sexually active.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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