According to the information reported by the Associated Press, drug manufacturer Merck & Co. is currently financing campaigns to get states in the US to pass legislation that would make it compulsory for girls from the age of 11 or 12 to receive a new vaccine protecting against sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV).
Merck produces the vaccine, called Gardasil, that protects from strains of HPV causing the majority of cervical cancers. Nowadays, at least eighteen states are debating whether to make the vaccine obligatory for schoolgirls.
The medicine company has supported financialy Women in Government, an advocacy organization that includes female state legislators all over the United States. A lot of the state bills supporting the use of Gardasil have been launched by members of Women in Government, the Associated Press revealed.
Underhanded lobbying?
Some parents’-rights and conservative groups accuse Merck of engaging in underhanded lobbying. These groups claim that making the vaccine compulsory would promote premarital sex and interfere with how parents bring up their children.
However, Merck claims that it has been honest by admitting that it provides funding to Women in Government, the AP reported.
In June 2006 Gardasil was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. An FDA advisory panel suggested that all girls should receive the vaccine at ages 11 or 12, before they start sexual contacts.
