Texas Gov. Rick Perry is rightly taking some strong criticism for his 2007 executive order requiring young girls to take the HPV vaccine. As National Review’s Kate O’Beirne wrote at the time:
But now Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., has muddied the waters by adding a completely bogus charge that Gardasil causes mental development problems.
Not once but twice, Bachmann has repeated a mother’s claim that Gardasil can cause “mental retardation.” Not only is there no evidence that vaccines contribute to developmental disorders, but the linking of the two was actually first cooked up by trial lawyers seeking a huge payday. Attacking Perry’s Gardasil decision along these lines makes Bachmann look like a crazed tool of trial lawyers.
Unfortunately, it may also make the stronger conservative case against Gardasil harder to make. Conservatives wanting to attack the Gardasil mandate on liberty/crony capitalism grounds now must also make an effort to distance themselves from Bachmann’s moonbattery.
