The Knuckleheads of the Day award

Today the award goes to the Palm Beach Post newspaper and its editorial board. For both their ill-informed and hysteria producing editorial on a veto by Gov. Jeb Bush.

It all began two days ago when Meghan Meyer wrote a article about State legislator Anne Gannon protesting a veto done by Jeb Bush.

Lawmaker decries cut to cervical cancer task force
By Meghan Meyer
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 11, 2005

Although few paid much attention when the governor trimmed $30,000 for a task force from the state's $63 billion budget in May, some women's health advocates say the veto threw up the first, long-expected roadblock to a promising vaccine that targets the virus that causes cervical cancer.

Two vaccines now in clinical trials face opposition from religious conservatives who believe inoculating children against a sexually transmitted virus would encourage premarital sex.

Doctors who treat cervical cancer say the opposition stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the human papilloma virus, which causes most cervical cancer.

A spokesman for the governor cited financial reasons for turning down $30,000 in administrative costs for the cervical cancer elimination task force. But state Rep. Anne Gannon, D-Delray Beach, who asked for the money, said the veto had more to do with fear of criticism from the religious right wing of the Republican Party.

"We have this great opportunity to eradicate cervical cancer, but these wackos think it could make teenagers have sex," she said. "It's so discouraging to have to fight this right-wing stuff on what should be a public-health issue."

The seven members of the task force — state health officials, doctors, a registered nurse, and a member of the legislative women's caucus — would have studied the treatment and prevention of the disease in Florida, not only the implications of the vaccine, which the Food and Drug Administration could approve by the end of the year.

A state law created the task force two years ago, but the budget never included any money for it.

Gannon asked for $100,000, and the legislature agreed to give $30,000. Then the governor vetoed it.

"This doesn't kill the task force," Bush spokesman Russell Schweiss said. "The money was earmarked for administrative expenses. He didn't feel they needed $30,000."

Religious conservatives who promote abstinence-only education have long counted on fear of the human papilloma virus as a deterrent to sex outside marriage. Besides cervical cancer, the virus also causes genital warts, and condoms aren't as effective at blocking it as they are with other diseases.

spokeswoman for the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian lobbying group in Washington, said the group doesn't oppose development of the vaccine. It opposes giving the vaccine to children.

In order for the vaccine to work, it must be administered before a person is exposed to the virus. For the vaccine to have a measurable effect on public health, it would have to be included in a platform of vaccines given to children or adolescents.

"It shouldn't be mandatory," said Bridget Maher, an analyst with the Family Research Council. "Their parents should decide."

First of all I don't agree with this Family Research Council. I'm both christian and right of center in my political views. This is about cancer and preventing it. As I have said multiple times on this blog, I'm a cancer survivor myself.

But what's the connection between the veto and the FRC? Gov. Bush office says it was because the 30,000 was for administrative costs. A spokesman was quoted saying just that. Where is the basis for the FRC? There is no corresponding quote from Anne Gannon, Just from the group. If Anne Gannon said this group was behind it, then she should be quoted doing so. Either we have lousy reporting or a reporter making her own connections.

Now here's the Post editorial for today. Its title- Sex worse than cancer?

A vaccine that would prevent more than 10,000 new diagnoses of cancer in the state and more than 3,700 deaths each year should be blocked because it will encourage more teens to have sex.

Reread that sentence all you want. The logic won't get any clearer. That's because the "reasoning" doesn't make sense. Yet such ideological illogic is behind Gov. Bush's veto of $30,000 for a task force that would have studied the treatment and prevention (including two vaccines in clinical trials) of cervical cancer in Florida -- a disease that is the second-leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide.

Florida ranks fourth in the number of new cervical cancer cases annually, according to a resolution the Legislature passed in April, naming January 2006 "Cervical Cancer Awareness Month." Pass a resolution? That's easy. Spend some money in the hope of eradicating a disease that often emaciates victims before killing a third of them? That takes standing up to a vocal minority that tries to turn every sex-related, public health issue into a shame-based, moral issue.

How does sex fit in with cervical cancer? The human papilloma virus is a sexually transmitted disease that can lead to cervical cancer. Never mind that most women with HPV don't get cervical cancer, or that most women -- at least 80 percent of sexually active women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- develop HPV in their lifetimes. Or didn't the governor read the feel-good resolution's description of HPV as "a virus commonly found in healthy women and only rarely resulting in cancer"? Why should it matter, anyway?

Legislation dealing with science should include this warning: Too much illogical ideology about sex is hazardous to the public's health.

Now lets take the Post editorial to the shredder-

1- It's 10,000 cases NATIONWIDE not statewide. Go to cancer.org.

2- The Post is even lousier in its use of statistics. Cervical cancer is #2 worldwide, but you're quoting state or nationwide. This cancer doesn't even rank in the top 10 nationwide in either incidence or death, and only expected to be 700+ plus cases statewide this year. The US has a much lower rate of this cancer than other countries because we're more developed. Its much deadlier in other undeveloped parts of the world where it can be as common as 25 per 100,000 women where here its less than 2 per 100,000.

By the way Florida is the 4th biggest state in the union, it would only make sense we're fourth in incidence of this cancer.

Again go to the NCI website.

3- $30,000 is going to impact these vaccines? Read the Meyer article again, the vaccine is up for FDA approval the end of the year. So what is a $30,000 study going to do in the meantime? The money isn't even for research.

I spoke to Mr. Randy Schultz this morning on the phone. He mentioned the symbolic nature of the money. No mention of symbolism in the editorial however.

They accuse Gov. Bush of not reading a resolution and not seeing the logic. What I see is a board so opposed to a politician is that they don't get the facts straight or use facts out of proper context to create hysteria. Are you trying to scare the un-informed? Because all you did in this editorial is show how you will warp facts and figures to make a political statement.

Shame on you Mr. Schultz and your editorial board. You are the knuckleheads of the day.

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