HPV legislation in Massachusetts

Women in Government Ratings

Women in Government, a non-profit network of state level women legislators, receives significant funding from the pharmaceutical industry, including Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, and Digene Corporation -- all with products related to HPV vaccination and testing. According to their report, "The 'State' of Cervical Cancer Prevention in America - 2008" :

POPULATION: 6,437,193

Incidence & Mortality (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Cervical Cancer Incidence Rate: 5.2/100,000 (2 / 2)
• Cervical Cancer Incidence Rate/Race: White: 5.1 , Black: 8.2, Hispanic: 13.6, Asian/Pacific Islander: 7.9
• Cervical Cancer Mortality Rate: 3.0/100,000 (2 / 2)
• Cervical Cancer Mortality Rate/Race: White: 1.7, Black: 2.5

Screening (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Cervical Cancer Screening Rate: 87.7% (2 / 2)
• Cervical Cancer Screening Rate/Race: White: 88.4%, Black: 92.9%, Hispanic: 79.9%, Asian/Pacific Islander: 81.4%
• % Uninsured/Unscreened: 23.9% (1 / 1)
• Medicaid Coverage HPV Testing: Unrestricted (2 / 2)

Healthcare Access (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Rate Uninsured Women: 12% (1 / 1)
• % Low Income/Uninsured Women: 25%

Policy Initiatives and Infrastructure (2008 Score / Cumulative Score (2005–2008)

Screening Requirements (0 / 2)

• There are no new screening requirements.

Task Forces (0 / 2)

• There is no new cervical cancer prevention task force legislation.

Access to HPV Vaccines (1 / 1)

• SB 102 would require 6th grade girls to receive the HPV vaccine; in committee.

HPV Vaccine Information Programs (0 / 0)

• There is no HPV vaccine information activity.

Miscellaneous (0 / 0)

• There is no new miscellaneous cervical cancer prevention activity.

Additional Notes

• Gov. Deval Patrick requested $72 million in additional public health spending for 2008, including $24.8 million for the state’s universal immunization program to provide an estimated 72,000 girls between the ages of 9–18 with the HPV vaccine.

Annual Ratings

• 2008: Very Good (15 out of 22 points)
• 2007: Very Good (12 out of 18 points)

Articles and resources

SourceWatch Resources

• Gardasil
• GlaxoSmithKline
• Merck
• Women in Government
• Edelman
• The Marketing of Gardasil in Australia
• The Marketing of Gardasil in Canada
• The Marketing of Gardasil in Europe
• The Marketing of Gardasil in New Zealand
• The Marketing of Gardasil in the United States
• Direct-to-consumer advertising
• Disease Mongering
• Drug industry

External links

• Judith Siers-Poisson, The Politics and PR of Cervical Cancer, a four part series, PRWatch.org, July, 2007.