(Texas Scorecard) – A Democrat lawmaker’s proposal to establish “a higher education plan for human papillomavirus education and prevention” received a hearing in the Republican-controlled House Higher Education Committee this past Tuesday.
House Bill 1787 by State Rep. Donna Howard (D-Austin) would order the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Board to develop a plan to educate Texas students about the dangers of the human papillomavirus, a common sexually transmitted disease.
In presenting the bill, Howard described it as a “cancer prevention bill.” She based this claim on the understanding that, in some cases, the HPV virus can lead to certain types of cancer.
Testifying in opposition to the bill, Michelle Evans of Texans for Vaccine Choice raised concerns that it would beget undue focus on vaccination at the expense of discouraging irresponsible forms of sexual activity.
Specifically, Evans said the bill could turn the state of Texas “into the de facto marketing arm of [pharmaceutical giant] Merck.” Merck is the manufacturer of Gardasil, the only FDA-approved HPV vaccine.
Merck has donated thousands of dollars to Howard’s campaigns over the past decade.
State Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R-Arlington) questioned Howard about the rates of adverse side effects from the HPV vaccine.
According to Tinderholt, adverse side effects from the HPV vaccine occur more frequently than cases of the virus leading to cancer.
Howard responded to Tinderholt’s concerns by saying, “I don’t have all that information in front of me.”
Pharmaceutical treatments for HPV have a controversial history in Texas. In 2007, then-Gov. Rick Perry set off a political firestorm when he issued an executive order mandating the Gardasil vaccine for eleven and twelve-year-old girls. Perry later backed down from the mandate amid legislative pushback and called his decision a mistake during his 2012 presidential campaign.
HB 1787 was left pending in committee.