Perry under fire for vaccine order

Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas

Four years ago, Gov. Rick Perry put aside his social- conservative bona fides and signed an order requiring Texas girls to be vaccinated against HPV.

The human papillomavirus is a sexually spread virus that can cause cervical cancer, and he says his aim was protecting against that cancer. But it didn’t take long for angry conservatives in the Legislature to override a measure they thought tacitly approved premarital sex, and for critics to accuse Perry of cronyism.

Now Perry’s taking heat on the issue anew as he runs for the presidential nomination of a GOP heavily influenced by conservatives who are sour on the government’s dictating health-care requirements. Illustrating the delicate politics at play, he’s both defending himself and calling his action a mistake.

“If I had it to do over again, I would have done it differently,” Perry said Monday night as he debated his rivals. But he did not back down from his stance that girls should be vaccinated against the virus, which generally is spread by sexual contact.