Professors offer more than $10,000 for proof that Bachmann’s story about HPV is true

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Chris Moody | The Ticket


http://i.imgur.com/ZbUyP.jpg

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann's story about a woman who claimed that her daughter suffered "mental retardation" after receiving a vaccine against HPV could fetch the woman's family thousands of dollars. But the family can only collect if Bachmann or the unnamed woman can prove the story is true.

Two bioethics professors have offered to pay more than $10,000 for medical records that prove the anecdote Bachmann told after Monday night's Republican presidential debate is true, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports:

Steven Miles, a U of M bioethics professor, said that he'll give $1,000 if the medical records of the woman from Bachmann's story are released and can be viewed by a medical professional.

His offer was upped by his former boss from the University of Minnesota, Art Caplan, who is now director of the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics. Caplan said he would match Miles' challenge and offered $10,000 for proof of the HPV vaccine victim.

"'These types of messages in this climate have the capacity to do enormous public health harm,'" Miles said of why he made the offer. 'The woman, assuming she exists, put this claim into the public domain and it's an extremely serious claim and it deserves to be analyzed.'"

Bachmann told the story after she criticized opponent Texas Gov. Rick Perry for using an executive order in 2007 to mandate that all girls entering the sixth grade receive a vaccination against the Human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted disease that can cause cervical cancer. The Texas legislature overturned the mandate and the policy was never enacted.

"There's a woman who came up crying to me tonight after the debate," Bachmann said after the debate, where she had told Perry on stage that she was "offended" by his decision. "She said her daughter was given that vaccine. She told me her daughter suffered mental retardation as a result of that vaccine." She repeated the story to several news outlets over the next 24 hours and sent a fundraising letter to supporters about the exchange she had with Perry on the debate stage.

When pressed by Fox News' Sean Hannity on his radio program about the story, Bachmann said she had "no idea" if it were true.

Bachmann's story drew criticism members of the medical community along with several conservatives allies, including radio host Rush Limbaugh, who have refused to defend her. Ed Rollins, who advised Bachmann's campaign through the summer, said she should take it back.

"She made a mistake," Rollins said on MSNBC. "The quicker she admits she made a mistake and moves on, the better she is."

[JoeyB]

Bachmann told the story after she criticized opponent Texas Gov. Rick Perry for using an executive order in 2007 to mandate that all girls entering the sixth grade receive a vaccination against the Human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted disease that can cause cervical cancer. The Texas legislature overturned the mandate and the policy was never enacted.

The company that invented this drug spent a small fortune making sure that law would be enacted, so that they could reap a vast profit from the mandatory application of it's questionable vaccine.

I'm not debating the quality of the vaccine, or the appropriateness of it, just the sheer unbridled corruptness of a system which would allow such a thing to happen.

It is a rare show of Texas logic that they overturned that bill. I remember being quite horrified when it passed in the first place.

[Southern Belle]

Mandatory vaccinations have hurt so many children.

[Muddy]

She blew it with the retardation comments...

[Southern Belle]

I know lots of Tea Party people and conservatives support her, but I just don't see it.

[KevinD]

It's examples like this why in the normal course of things I would not vote for Perry. He is just another of the old guard republican career pol.

However, I can't help but wonder where these two "Bioethics" profs were when Barry made his "quotes" about the folks who could have been saved if only we had universal healthcare.

[FBD]

It's examples like this why in the normal course of things I would not vote for Perry. He is just another of the old guard republican career pol.

However, I can't help but wonder where these two "Bioethics" profs were when Barry made his "quotes" about the folks who could have been saved if only we had universal healthcare.

:lol: :thumbsup:

Of course I'm voting for whomever wins the R ticket, but I'd prefer a better candidate than Perry. All day long over Obama, though.

Bachmann is just right out. She served her purpose well, forward fiscal conservatism - but dont start with the bleeding heart shit, we dont need it. :hand: We all know what Perry did was wrong, beat him the right way on it without overextending, making yourself sound like an ass.

[Acid Trip]

It is a rare show of Texas logic that they overturned that bill. I remember being quite horrified when it passed in the first place.[/COLOR]

You can't possibly "remember being quite horrified when it passed" because it was never a piece of legislation that went up for vote. It was an executive order.

[Muddy]

You can't possibly "remember being quite horrified when it passed" because it was never a piece of legislation that went up for vote. It was an executive order.


I think it made the news though...

[Acid Trip]

Mandatory vaccinations have hurt so many children.

Have you ever seen a baby with Measles? Mumps? Rubella? Perhaps you liked small pox and thought it shouldn't have been wiped out? These are TERRIBLE ailments that we can only stand by and watch happen when a child goes without vaccinations (and I only named a few). Vaccinations are a miracle of modern medicine that have saved millions more than they've ever hurt.

My mom was a 35 yr Neonatal ICU nurse and she's seen/treated children with these ailments because the parents were too stupid to get their kids vaccinated. Not all of them survived.

[JoeyB]

You can't possibly "remember being quite horrified when it passed" because it was never a piece of legislation that went up for vote. It was an executive order.


I think it made the news though...

Thank you Muddy Buddy. It did make the news, I do remember it, and I discussed it with my family and online.

Seriously acid trip, I may have phrased it poorly but the intent of my comment was obvious.

[deebakes]

:rip:

[Godfather]

Have you ever seen a baby with Measles? Mumps? Rubella? Perhaps you liked small pox and thought it shouldn't have been wiped out? These are TERRIBLE ailments that we can only stand by and watch happen when a child goes without vaccinations (and I only named a few). Vaccinations are a miracle of modern medicine that have saved millions more than they've ever hurt.

My mom was a 35 yr Neonatal ICU nurse and she's seen/treated children with these ailments because the parents were too stupid to get their kids vaccinated. Not all of them survived.

:thumbsup: I'm not familiar with the legislation here, but vaccinations separate us from the dark ages and were a huge leap forward in a lot of ways.


Watching her on Leno right now... she sure is throwing out buzzwords and trying to sound smart. Think she has said 'crony-capitalism' half a dozen times. *zzzz*

[Muddy]

*looks up "crony-capitalism"*

[Muddy]

I just looked it up.. After hearing a lengthy news program about how the whole Perry/Merck/(some other dude) relationship and time line of events went down.. it would appear very much that it was "crony-capitalism". It's everything I'm against.

For those that aren't familiar with the term, here is the short def.

Crony capitalism is a term describing a capitalist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism) economy in which success in business depends on close relationships between business people and government officials. It may be exhibited by favoritism in the distribution of legal permits, government grants, special tax breaks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_break), and so forth.

[Hal-9000]

I'm all for vaccinations in general..unfortunately this entered the realm of politics before it entered the world at large...

create a vaccine, test it, release all findings positive and negative and then let the parents decide..

[JoeyB]

I just looked it up.. After hearing a lengthy news program about how the whole Perry/Merck/(some other dude) relationship and time line of events went down.. it would appear very much that it was "crony-capitalism". It's everything I'm against.

For those that aren't familiar with the term, here is the short def.

Crony capitalism is a term describing a capitalist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism) economy in which success in business depends on close relationships between business people and government officials. It may be exhibited by favoritism in the distribution of legal permits, government grants, special tax breaks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_break), and so forth.

Exactly Muddy Buddy, and this was one of the reasons I was so upset at the time. The thought that this was a decision based mostly on corporate profit and not public health is disgusting.


I'm all for vaccinations in general..unfortunately this entered the realm of politics before it entered the world at large...

create a vaccine, test it, release all findings positive and negative and then let the parents decide..

Let the patients decide is why I was shocked about this a few years ago...because the corporation that made it spent a lot of cash on Texas politicians to arrange for this to be mandatory. The whole thing stank.

[KevinD]

I just looked it up.. After hearing a lengthy news program about how the whole Perry/Merck/(some other dude) relationship and time line of events went down.. it would appear very much that it was "crony-capitalism". It's everything I'm against.

For those that aren't familiar with the term, here is the short def.

Crony capitalism is a term describing a capitalist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism) economy in which success in business depends on close relationships between business people and government officials. It may be exhibited by favoritism in the distribution of legal permits, government grants, special tax breaks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_break), and so forth.


AKA: Career Politician

[Arkady Renko]

I think Bachman herself is probably retarded and it's kinda base to try and use a vaccination as an excuse.


Have you ever seen a baby with Measles? Mumps? Rubella? Perhaps you liked small pox and thought it shouldn't have been wiped out? These are TERRIBLE ailments that we can only stand by and watch happen when a child goes without vaccinations (and I only named a few). Vaccinations are a miracle of modern medicine that have saved millions more than they've ever hurt.

My mom was a 35 yr Neonatal ICU nurse and she's seen/treated children with these ailments because the parents were too stupid to get their kids vaccinated. Not all of them survived.

+1, I would like to see that moron Wakefield burn at the stake for spreading these ridiculous fake scares about the MMR vaccine. Unfortunately, clever little business schemes like the way the HPV vaccine and the Swine Flu vaccine were pimped brought vaccines in general into disrepute, which may well cost thousands of lives because kids will die of unnecessary infections.