ABSTRACT
In early February 2007, Texas governor and future presidential candidate Rick Perry issued what would be a contentious executive order, RP 65. Bypassing the Texas legislatures' discussions of similar policies, RP 65 required sixth-grade girls in Texas public schools receive the newly approved human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Gardasil. The HPV vaccine does not promote sex, it protects women's health. Perry labeled his order 'pro-life', a term historically linked to an antiabortion stance referring to the fetus's life, not to the pregnant woman's life. Two weeks after Perry's order, on February 16, United States House Representative Gingrey introduced the 'The Parental Right to Decide Protection Act'. The proposed bill prohibited federal funds for 'mandatory HPV vaccine policies'. Perry's pro-life claim to preserve women's health did not extend to already sexually active women at more imminent risk for life-threatening cancers.
