by Alison Despathy

The package insert of a Gardasil Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine is 28 pages long. For many adults it speaks a foreign language, yet several Senators, specifically Lyons, Gulick, and Hardy in the Senate Health and Welfare (SHW) committee, seem to think it is both possible and acceptable for a minor over the age of twelve to attempt to make a comprehensive benefit risk analysis based on informed consent – alone– without a parent, guardian, or advocate. Not only is this delusional, it places all children in Vermont directly in harm’s way. 

The current version of S.151 includes language that would allow a minor over the age of 12, without parental consent, to agree to sexually transmitted infection preventative services including the HPV and Hepatitis B vaccines, ‘Prep’ HIV medications and newly approved sexually transmitted infection (STI) vaccines which are Big Pharma’s emerging market, so expect this list to rapidly expand.

Not only is S.151 destructive to parental rights and responsibilities, it is highly dangerous and will place many children, especially abused, neglected children at risk. This bill will do the exact opposite of what these Senators intend. It will perpetuate and exacerbate abusive situations and place children at risk from vaccines that like any other treatment or medication hold risk and can bring harm. 

Dr. Sandy Reider recently presented testimony in the Senate Health and Welfare committee in opposition to the minor consent portion of S.151. Dr. Reider has practiced family medicine in Vermont since 1971. He is a Harvard graduate medical doctor, a founding member of Physicians for Informed Consent and a well respected, highly appreciated physician in his community. He has been a board member of Health Choice Vermont since its inception. His written testimony in opposition to S.151 is here.

After reaching out for a comment regarding his concerns on S.151, Dr. Reider shared.

“S.151 is a stealth vaccine and drug bill targeting minors, pure and simple. Its short term goal is to increase uptake of the dangerous and probably ineffective Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine, but its longer term objective is to open the floodgates to ever more, “health-related” interventions (counseling, drugs, vaccines, surgery), whether parents and guardians agree, or not, pitting children against their parents, and thus weakening, or even destroying, the family unit. If this trend is allowed to continue, the state, rather than the parents, will eventually “own” and control our children. We should be asking ourselves: why do so many “health” professionals, legislators, and appointed state officials want to do this?”

Along with Dr. Reider, Jennifer Stella and Dr. Heather Rice are Co-Directors of Heath Choice Vermont. HCV has been working since 2012 to fulfill their mission to “Protect the basic human right of Vermonters to grant or withhold medical consent on behalf of ourselves and our children without coercion or penalty.” 

Regarding S.151, HCV commented that “With vaccine and drug safety being as abysmal as it is, allowing healthcare providers to administer vaccines and pills to mere children without parental knowledge is reckless and puts teens at risk of deleterious side effects.” 

A class action lawsuit is currently under review for the HPV Gardasil vaccine. The lawsuits “accuse Merck of fraudulently concealing evidence regarding the health risks of Gardasil while falsely promoting it as a vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer.” Plaintiffs in the lawsuit hold two primary complications related to the vaccine, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and Primary Ovarian Failure. 

On February 15, 2024, two new lawsuits were filed against Merck for the wrongful death of two girls from the Gardasil HPV vaccine. On the HPV package insert, it states that Gardasil has not been evaluated for the potential to cause carcinogenicity (cancer promotion), genotoxicity (damage to genetic material), or impairment of male fertility. 

Senate Health and Welfare declares S.151 a ‘lightning rod’

It is easy to see why S.151 has quickly become a ‘lightning rod’, as accurately described by the SHW committee itself. Parents across the state are pushing back on the minor consent portion of the bill and the inherent risk this brings to children. . 

In section 6.1 of a vaccine package insert, federal law demands that the manufacturer list the clinical trials and adverse events. For example, Recombivax, the hepatitis B vaccine given to children on the first day of life, has only been studied for 5 days in infants. Kostoff, et al explains that, 

“It should be noted that the biomedical literature is very sparse with studies on long term vaccine effects, especially long term adverse effects. Large numbers of people and long periods of time are required to identify such adverse events, and draw statistically valid connections between vaccinations and disease.” 

“The two main categories of disease reported in the biomedical literature triggered by vaccination are:

Autoimmune (e.g., systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Psoriasis, Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Hepatitis, Uveitis Pseudolymphoma, Guillain Barre Syndrome, Thromobocytopenic purpurea) and and Neurological (e.g., Central Demyelinating diseases, Developmental Disability, Febrile seizures, Narcolepsy, Encephalomyelitis, Autonomic Dysfunction etc.) ….Diabetes and Neutropenia.”

Aluminum, a known neurotoxin, is in most vaccines injected into children. Mercury, another neurotoxin, is still present in flu vaccines but was quietly and systematically replaced with aluminum in the majority of vaccines after the Simpsonwood gathering in 2000 where Government scientists, pharmaceutical companies, and public health officials discussed, “Concerns of a possible dose response effect of increasing levels of methylmercury in vaccines and certain neurologic diagnoses.”

In his testimony, Dr. Rieder referenced the sexually transmitted infections (STI) vaccine pipeline currently in development. In June, 2023, WebMD reported, “FDA to ‘Fast Track’ review of experimental Gonorrhea vaccine.” mRNA herpes vaccines are in development, despite the ongoing investigations into risks of ‘safe and effective’ mRNA technology especially in children. The Zostavax herpes vaccine saw a 36% increase in the rate of serious adverse events associated with the herpes zoster vaccine in persons 60 years of age and older. Recently, the FDA issued a warning about Guillain Barre Syndrome and the Shingrix herpes vaccine. Vaccine risk and injury is real.

I was also able to provide testimony in SHW. My slides are here. As a mother and healthcare professional working with vaccine injury and young families attempting to navigate the vaccine question, I am both appalled and devastated that this bill exists. In 1986, the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act became law and effectively broke market forces by removing a person’s ability to sue vaccine manufacturers. There is no other product on the market that holds this level of immunity. 

42 U.S.C. 300aa-11states, “No person may bring a civil action for damages… against a vaccine administrator or manufacturer…for damages arising from a vaccine related injury or death associated with the administration of a vaccine.”

Keep in mind, Big Pharma are serial felonswho have literally experimented on children with vaccines and medication throughout the world, especially in the global South–India,Philippines, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Nicaragua, Mexico and Brazil to name a few. They have been fined billions of dollars for fraud, deceptive marketing, and ethics violations. From vioxx to opioids, botched vaccines, experimental AIDS medication given to foster children, Big Pharma has repeatedly broken trust with the public with no end in sight. 

With a full liability shield in place, it is easy to understand why the children’s vaccine schedule has grown from 4 vaccines with 11 total doses in 1983 to 26 vaccines with 70 plus vaccine doses in 2024. What company focused on profits would not take advantage of this liability shield and actively work to grow the market for these protected products? 

What would have prompted Congress to take such extreme action and pass the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act? 

In 1985, a Senate Committee formed to address the issues related to the whole cell Diphtheria- Pertussis-Tetanus (DPT) vaccine which resulted in large numbers of lawsuits by parents whose children suffered brain injury and death from the DPT vaccine. Liability payments exceeded vaccine revenues leading to the closure of all vaccine manufacturers except for one- Lederle. Average claims ranged from 10-45.6 million dollars in one decade with 200 hundred lawsuits filed. 

The NCVIA granted full immunity to Big Pharma forever compromising vaccine safety. Former Congressman Bill Posey, summed it up best when he stated, 

“Maybe we will finally find out why the vaccine injury compensation fund has paid out over $3 billion for vaccine injuries. – at the same time it is claimed that vaccines do not cause injuries.” 

Today, the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) has paid over 5 billion dollars for vaccine injuries and deaths since 1988. Yet the Senate Health and Welfare committee still believes that minors should make these decisions for themselves.

Without market forces and the right to sue the manufacturer for an unsafe product, vaccine safety testing is diminished. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was supposed to step into this role of vaccine safety responsibility and they have failed miserably. Despite the 1986 mandate, they have never filed a vaccine safety improvement report, they disbanded their taskforce in 1988 and there have been multiple Congressional reports identifying conflicts of interest and ethical concerns between the Department HHS and the pharmaceutical industry.

Nine of the past ten Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioners have left the FDA to work for Big Pharma. This revolving door pattern has stirred tri-partisan ire from US Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Rand Paul. Despite this overwhelming conflict of interest, the HHS and Big Pharma revolving door continues unabated. In 2016, Center for Disease Control Scientists Preserving Integrity, Diligence, and Ethics in Research (SPIDER) stated that, 

“It appears that our mission is being influenced and shaped by outside parties and rogue interests and Congressional intent for our agency is being circumvented by some of our leaders. What concerns us most, is that it is becoming the norm and not the rare exception…These questionable and unethical practices threaten to undermine our credibility and reputation as a trusted leader in public health.”

Without knowledge of this history, it is impossible for the Vermont Senate Health and Welfare committee to understand what has prompted parents to carve out time in their busy schedules to vehemently oppose the minor consent portion of S.151. At one point during my testimony, Senator Gulick said, “Wow- you went down a lot of rabbit holes.” With all due respect to Senator Gulick, these are not rabbit holes, it is called research and history and without an understanding of the vaccine timeline or an open mind to receive and consider new information, the ability to serve and protect Vermonters, and in this case Vermont children is severely compromised. 

At the heart of this matter, is the fundamental question of who is responsible for the safety of children? The answer is clear- parents, guardians, foster parents or authorities in certain cases. If the minor consent portion of S.151 passes and if a child is harmed or dies from a sexually transmitted infection preventative service intervention, does that mean the Senators who vote this through are responsible and will be held liable for any injury or death to minors? Because thanks to the 1986 NCVIA, Big Pharma cannot be held liable for harm. It seems this is what Big Pharma’s billions of dollars and over 1400 lobbyists can buy you in Congress- a full liability shield for products that are clearly not safe and effective. 

It is essential that children have a parent or adult advocate to take responsibility and ensure informed consent and a comprehensive benefit risk analysis is performed in all cases related to the medical care of a child.  S.151 is dangerous to Vermont children and obliterates the rights and responsibilities of parents.

The author is a clinical nutritionist in St. Johnsbury.