This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Posted: 11:49 AM- Utah's House Health and Human Services Committee today killed a bill aimed at saving women's lives by providing $1 million for cervical cancer education and prevention.
Introduced by Rep. Karen Morgan, D-Cottonwood Heights, HB 358 would have given the Utah Department of Health $1 million to raise awareness of the disease and immunize girls and young women against it with the new Gardasil vaccine.
Morgan thought the bill would pass out of committee, and was disappointed.
"I think many people are afraid of something new," she said. "I think these are individuals who are against immunization altogether. But this is the first vaccine to protect against cancer." The Food and Drug Administration approved Gardasil, made by Merck, in June of last year, recommending it for females ages nine to 26.
Many health providers hailed it as a major advancement because it is the first vaccine designed to prevent human papillomavirus, which can cause genital warts and cervical cancer.
Critics have said it is too early to know if Gardasil is effective and questioned whether it might lead to increased promiscuity among adolescents.
Gardasil is given as three injections over a six-month period and costs about $400 out-of-pocket.
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