Dangerous rhetoric about a safe drug

In the latest instance in a series of verbal gaffes, Michele Bachmann recently claimed that the HPV vaccine Gardasil might cause mental retardation. She cited an anecdote told to her by a woman who claimed her daughter had suffered mental retardation after receiving the vaccination.

She was attempting to discredit fellow presidential hopeful Rick Perry by calling into question his 2007 mandate that sixth-grade Texan girls be vaccinated against HPV, or human papillomavirus. On one level, the issue is purely ideological. Bachman claimed the order was “a violation of individual liberty.” However, her subsequent remarks were alarming and even dangerous. Whether or not the vaccine should be required by the state is one issue. Attempting to discredit the vaccine itself could dissuade parents from vaccinating their children against a very real threat. As young voters concerned for women’s (and men’s) health, we are deeply troubled by Rep. Bachmann’s remarks.

The American Academy of Pediatrics immediately responded to her remarks, saying that there is “absolutely no scientific validity to [her] statement” and that “this is a life-saving vaccine that can protect girls from cervical cancer.” Some 35 million doses of Gardasil have been administered with an excellent safety record. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “most cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV.” Approximately 12,000 women a year contract cervical cancer, and around 4,000 succumb to the disease.

The virus itself is the most common sexually transmitted infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control, some 50 percent of sexually active American adults will contract HPV during their lifetimes. HPV is a very real problem, and this vaccine can help prevent its spread.

With women comprising half our population, that this claim, which can do nothing but hurt women’s health, was made is concerning. In the past year, women’s issues have been slowly diminishing in importance, and politicians across the country have pushed for anti-woman policies, such as changing the term “rape victim” to “rapist accuser” and making stronger anti-abortion laws. These policies call into question women’s judgment and make it more difficult for women to exercise control over their lives, sexually and otherwise.

When a presidential candidate, especially a woman, makes claims that are contrary to women’s health, she or he calls into question the decades of progress that have been made in the area of women’s issues. Though in theory women are “equal” to men, in reality, a gender gap still persists in America. Gender inequality still manifests itself in various ways, such as lower salaries, uneven job distribution and female stereotypes. In terms of health care, women’s issues such as abortion, birth control and STIs still carry a stigma. Health care should focus on preventing problems before they arise and allow women to exercise greater control over their personal health. The HPV vaccine would help do just that.

Not only were Bachmann’s remarks scientifically inaccurate, but they also show a disregard for women in general.

She failed to do her research on an important subject, and, when confronted with her mistake, she failed to correct it. As a prominent political candidate, she had the opportunity to speak out for the vaccine as a way to empower girls and women. At the very least, she could have refrained from making spurious claims about the safety of the vaccine. Her remarks, at best, show ignorance unbefitting of a candidate to higher office.

Wash. U. students, men and women alike, should hold political candidates to high standards, whether on the subject of the economy, foreign affairs or women’s issues. American women deserve a high level of health care and respect. Let’s make sure we hold our politicians to those standards.

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