About 30 people gathered on the steps of the John A. Wilson Building downtown Thursday to protest a bill that requires all school-aged District of Columbia females to receive vaccinations against the human papillomavirus.
Chanting “not on our daughters” and holding signs that read “children are not guinea pigs,” protesters accused Council Members David Catania, I-at large, and Mary Cheh, D-Ward 3, of being in the pocket of lobbyists for Merck, the company that manufactures the HPV vaccination Gardasil. The Federal Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine in June.
Protesters said they recognize HPV as a public health priority but questioned whether Gardasil is appropriate for use in young girls. They expressed concern about the lack of long-term knowledge about the vaccine’s effectiveness.
The bill would allow parents to opt out of vaccination.
District resident Cary Grant, a father of five daughters, said he disagrees with the council’s approach to the bill.
“Do it the right way,” said Grant, who believes such a bill should wait until the vaccine has undergone more testing. “Give us something to rely on. Don’t give us doubt.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta estimates that as many as 20 million people are infected with HPV and that by age 50, at least 80 percent of women will have become infected. The HPV infection rate among District residents ranks among the highest in the country.
A person infected with HPV often has no symptoms. In most cases, the virus clears up on its own. In rare cases, it can lead to abnormal cell changes in some men and women, most frequently in the form of cervical cancer in females.
“It’s one of the rarest gynecological cancers,” said retired obstetrician/gynecologist Nancy Banks, who attended Thursday’s protest. “It can be prevented by using condoms.”
Council Member Jack Evans, D-Ward 2, exited the building during the protest and was asked if he would push for more public hearings on the bill, which Catania introduced in January. District Health Department Director Gregg Pane testified in support of the bill at a hearing in February.
“We’ve gotten a lot of comments on it, mostly negative, actually, so I think it’s important that the public’s voice be heard,” Evans said.
