Yeaterday I testified before the Florida House in support of the Gardasil Vaccine Bill.

Some background...

The bill was originally written to require that all girls entering the 6th grade beginning 2009-2010 would have to have the series of shots before they started school.

The Committee appointed to hear the Bill is composed of 10 Republicans (R) and 5 Democrats (D).

The R's objected and got the sponsor to change the Bill to include an OPT OUT clause that meant the if, FOR ANY REASON, the parent did not want their child to get the shot, they would just have to sign a form stating just that and no shots would be given.

I flew to Tallahassee yesterday with the Sponsor, Rep Homan, and he informed me that he had been called the previous night by the Chairman of the Committee (a R) and that the R's were going to put an Amendment on the agenda that would eliminate the Vaccine shots altogether and beginning in 2009 require that the schools send a note home to the parents informing them of the availability of the vaccine and the HPV connection to Cervical cancer. The parents would not be required to even sign that they got the note.

I was informed that we would now be speaking against the Amendment first and then to the Bill second.

Rep Homan had lined up the following speakers in support of the Bill without the proposed Amendment in order of our appearence:
1. A GYN of 30 years and the past President of the State's GYN Society.

2. The Communicable Disease Director of the Fl Dept Of Health.

3. Me

4. A housewife who has tested positive for HPV-16.

5. A 17 yr old highschool female, and

6. A spokesperson from the Am Cancer Society.

Pretty impressive group, especially the #3 guy.

I really can't go into all that was said but the information from the 2 doctors was undisputable. Mine was emotional as was the housewife with 2 teenage daughters and the 17 year old student was blunt, frank and unbelievable.

It was sooooo obvious from the first speaker that the R's minds were already made up. You wouldn't have believed the STUPID and I really mean STUPID questions repeatedly asked of the "experts". For instance..."Can you guarantee that this Vaccine is 100% effective?" or "Can you guarantee that this Vaccine will kill 100% of Cervical cancers?"

After we all finished speaking, the R's did not have ANY speakers lined up at all so NOT ONE fact was challenged.

The Chairman quickly asked for a VOICE vote on the Amendment and even though it sounded even, he quickly declared that the Amendment passed and offically it was recored as 10 for, 5 against.

The Bill, as amended was next voted on and it passed 15 to 0.

Result....Assuming the Senate passes it, Florida will now only require that starting in 2009 the school will hand the student (I assume females only)a pamplet or something that the student is supposed to give to the parent that will talk about the Vaccine and the HPV connection to cervical cancer.

I am so mad I can't see straight as they say. I can't believe as a R myself that they are supposed to represent me.