Vaccinate Us Against Political Deception
In the recent Republican debate, there was much discussion about Rick Perry’s decision to order the vaccination of teenage girls against the HPV virus. Debate of the role of government in our lives is fair, and even vital, to our democratic way of life. I believe people of good conscience could come down of either side of this issue. Also fair was a discussion of the campaign donations Perry received from Merck, the maker of the Gardasil vaccine.
However, what was not up for debate is the benefit of vaccinating teenage girls against a cancer-causing virus. However, Michelle Bachmann couldn’t resist getting a lick in by saying a mother told her the vaccine caused her daughter’s mental retardation. Disseminating unsubstantiated charges where the health of children is involved, just to get in a dig at her political opponent, is morally reprehensible.
As the parent of an autistic child, I know the desire to find “the cause” can be quite strong, and conclusions are easily jumped to. Vaccines are a frequent scapegoat. But to use a mother’s desire for answers as a political tool makes Ms. Bachmann’s behavior doubly reprehensible. She should be nowhere near the White House. And come to think about it, probably nowhere near Congress either.
Public officials campaigning for office attract a great amount of attention by design. With that publicity comes a moral and ethical responsibility to disseminate truth. I know that seems counter to our experience, but we need to demand better of our public officials.
Hey you pharmaceutical companies! Can you vaccinate us against political deception?
