Brian Jenkins

Kudos to Ms. Isabelle Maréchal. In today’s Journal de Montréal, she critically raises doubts about an existing provincial government’s health care policy affecting our youth. Her article is entitled “L’épidémie inventée” – The Invented Epidemic, and may be read here.

The "invented" epidemic is cervical cancer and the policy, one begun three years ago, consists of the "voluntary" inoculating of our nine year-olds. against the possibility of contracting the HPV virus - the human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted disease, which may be a cause for this cancer.

First, Ms. Marechal points out that we do not have an epidemic. She acknowledges that there have been 80 deaths attributed to cervical cancer and, yes, 80 is 80 too many. Yet does this warrant the label epidemic.

Also, it seems that the label somehow justifies the mass inoculation. Fine for Merck laboratoires that charges $400 per student. This represents about $35 million per year out of the public coffers for a procedure which is not a sure thing. (I wonder whether anybody has heard of abstinancy education.)

Next, Ms. Marechal points to the strong arm technic of the parties involved to coerce parents in this "voluntary program". On the one hand, two physicians who have admitted being Merck's payroll have endorsed the plan.

On the other hand, the provicial government's promotional material reads: “Parents, think about? Do you wish for your daughter to to die from a terrible cancer?" How would you react?

Ms. Marechal points out how disingenuous these claims are. First girls having been inoculated with the very same vaccine have contracted HPV and second the government’s endorsement of the vaccine as a sure fire way to avoid the cancer is false.

Finally, the Journal writer notes that several countries have raised reds flags regarding the safety of the vaccine.

So, why is Mr. Charest and his peers endorsing this expediture? One wonders whether it is more than the construction industry that needs a perusal.