Parents received a significant show of support from South Carolina House members on April 18. After much debate on the House floor and behind the scenes, representatives voted unanimously to kill a bill that required 11-year-old girls to be vaccinated against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV).
Joe MackHouse Bill 3136, introduced earlier by Rep. Joan Brady, Columbia, would have mandated all sixth-grade female students to be vaccinated with Gardasil (the HPV vaccine) before entering the seventh grade. This bill gained momentum like few have ever done. At one point, the bill had 70 co-sponsors.
Some said Gardasil was a cancer vaccine and that it could eventually wipe out cervical cancer. According to Diane Harper, a lead researcher who spent 20 years developing the drug, Gardasil is not a cancer vaccine or cure. She says it prevents the virus that can cause cervical cancer and that it is not 100 percent effective against all types of HPV.
Parents called their representatives with concerns about the newness of the drug and the speed this legislation had taken on. Rep. Brady decided to amend the original bill with an opt-out provision; however, we have seen that opt-out provisions are seldom effective tools for concerned parents.
Rep. Phillip Shoopman, a member of Greer First Baptist, provided great behind-the-scenes leadership in an effort to kill this bill. Rep. Shoopman talked to many other legislators and distributed printed information about the vaccine to his colleagues. He worked closely with Rep. Dwight Loftis, Greenville, and Rep. Kris Crawford, a physician from Florence. Dr. Crawford spoke eloquently about the lack of information about the long-term effects of this vaccine in children. In the end, the House voted unanimously to table the bill – killing it for now. Mr. Shoopman and Dr. Crawford are to be commended for outstanding leadership as freshman representatives.
Please continue to pray for our elected leaders as they craft the laws that affect us all.