HPV legislation in Utah

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: 2,550,063

Incidence & Mortality (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Cervical Cancer Incidence Rate: 6.4/100,000 (2 / 2)
• Cervical Cancer Incidence Rate/Race: White: 6.4, Hispanic: 10.9
• Cervical Cancer Mortality Rate: 1.7/100,000 (2 / 1)
• Cervical Cancer Mortality Rate/Race: White: 1.7

Screening (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Cervical Cancer Screening Rate: 74.3% (0 / 0)
• Cervical Cancer Screening Rate/Race: White: 74.9%, Hispanic: 71.8%
• % Uninsured/Unscreened: 35.8% (0 / 0)
• Medicaid Coverage HPV Testing: Unrestricted (2 / 2)

Healthcare Access (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Rate Uninsured Women: 18% (1 / 1)
• % Low Income/Uninsured Women: 35%

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

Screening Requirements (0 / 0)

• There are no new screening requirements.

Task Forces (0 / 0)

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

Access to HPV Vaccines (0 / 0)

• There is no HPV vaccine activity.

HPV Vaccine Information Programs (0 / 0)

• There is no HPV vaccine information activity.

Miscellaneous (2 / 2)

• HB 358 directs the Dept. of Health to establish a $25,000 public awareness campaign to educate parents, healthcare providers, and women about the causes and risks of cervical cancer and the prevention of cervical cancer; signed by Gov. Huntsman (replaces an earlier version that would have provided $1 million for a public

education campaign and HPV vaccinations).

Additional Notes

• Karen and Jon Huntsman, the parents of Gov. Jon Huntsman, announced that the Huntsman Foundation donated $1 million to the Dept. of Health for programs to educate girls and women about cervical cancer and to cover Gardasil vaccinations.

Annual Ratings

• 2008: Fair (9 out of 22 points)
• 2007: Fair (7 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.