Bioethicist Bets Bachmann $10,000 on HPV Vaccine Link to Damage

[hue]

Source: Bloomberg

Bioethicist Art Caplan is challenging Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann with a $10,000 bet to prove a claim that a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer caused mental retardation.

Bachmann chastised Texas Governor Rick Perry at a Sept. 12 Republican debate for requiring girls in his state to get Merck & Co.’s Gardasil in 2007 to ward off a sexually transmitted virus that causes cancer. The next day in television interviews, Bachmann said a woman told her the shot, usually given at age 12, triggered mental retardation in the woman’s daughter. Caplan, director of the center for bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania, said the statements by Bachmann, a U.S. representative from Minnesota, may cost lives by frightening parents from vaccinating their daughters. He said he’ll pay $10,000 to Bachmann’s charity of choice if she can find such a patient.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-15/bioethicist-bets-bachmann-10-000-on-vaccine-s-link-to-mental-retardation.html

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Political candidates need to be taken to task for their ludicrous statements! Here is an example of how lives could be at stake for the totally
unsubstantiated remarks thrown out by Bachmann! I hope Caplan's bet is publicized widely but most of the time Tea Baggers & Repubs get away with
spewing this crap!!

[Tesha]

1. It always amazes me that politicians can *JUST PLAIN LIE* and not be called on it by the media.

If the media were doing its job, many of these politicians
would have never been elected Alderman/Dog Catcher/etc.,
let alone Senator/Representative/Governor.

And they'd be laughed out of the race for the Presidency.

But the media knows what sells the Daily Fishwrap, and
truth and accuracy hardly factors into that any more so
we get the Horse Race of Outrageousness instead, allowing
people to believe that these idiots are actually able to
govern us.

Tesha

[SemperEadem]

9. that's because the media doesn't do enough research

into what its covering to even be able to challenge lies by these assholes. It's not in their interests to know what the truth is before being able to check someone who is lying through her teeth: their interests are to pander to the thug mentality and keep to their agenda, which is to pave the way for the thugs to take the white house once again. They're all so in love with these liars and will let them lie lie lie for as long as needs be.

[Gari]

2. Boys can be vaccinated, too

From the CDC website:

"There are two licensed HPV vaccines, Gardasil® and Cervarix®, available to protect against the types of HPV infection that cause most cervical cancers. Gardasil® was licensed for use in females, age 9-26 years in June 2006 and for males age 9-26 years in Oct 2009. Cervarix® was licensed for use in females age 10-25 in October 2009."

Why are only girls mentioned? More emotionally charged? To me, it's just a simple matter of public health and the only reason the Re-pukes are whipped up about this is because the word "genitals" gets tossed into the explanation of what HPV is.

[hue]

4. #1 : TeaBaggers & some Repubs don't believe in science &

many are misogynistic dumping most of the blame/responsibility for anything that goes wrong sexually (including unwanted pregnancies) on the females.

[karynnj]

5. I think that it is the combination of a vaccine for young girls where the recommendation

implicitly assumes there is a reasonable probability that it could be useful - which implies the person might become sexually active and the rejection of government regulation/mandates. I think the reason boys are not mentioned is that because Texas did not recommend boys get this vaccination. In addition, though boys can be vaccinated, the official recommendations don't include it. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/child/7-18yrs-schedule-pr.pdf

By the way welcome to DU :hi:

[Gari]

8. Thanks!

DH has been around here forever (Purged Voter) and told me to get my own account if I wanted to post :)

[SpiralHawk]

3. "You are totally ON, if we use Republicon rules* Smirk." - Michele Bachmann (R)

* That means RepubliCronies get to program and operate the computers that will tabulated the so-called data, and shit like that

[truth2power]

6. This was on NPR yesterday. There were two medical professionals; the one referenced above and

another one, a physician I think, who offered $1000. for anyone producing the alleged victim and/or a signed release of information so the case can be investigated. I'm a little foggy on the exact details.

The NPR reporter said they had contacted Bachmann's office but were only told, "No comment".

See, all you have to do is challenge these loons, or push them a little to pony-up the relevant information, and they back off.

A point that Pres. Obama would do well to contemplate. :evilgrin:

[bongbong]

7. She'll ignore it

repigs always ignore challenges to their endless lies, while the MSM & NPR always challenges ANYTHING a progressive says.

Remember how Michelle "I'm A Beard" Bachmann ignored the debate challenge by that high school girl a few months ago? The MSM dropped that story very quickly.

[Supersedeas]

11. Yep, she'll ignore it and so will the Corporate Media types who broadly diseeminated it

to her benefit

[Bette Noir]

10. "Not intended to be a factual statement."