Gov. Perry’s Wife May Have Influenced His HPV Vaccination Order

The New York Times: A Political Wife's Influence on an Issue, by Susan Saulny:

Four years after Gov. Rick Perry issued an executive order that would have made Texas the first state to require that sixth-grade girls be vaccinated against a sexually transmitted disease linked to cervical cancer, its genesis remains a mystery. Opponents, including Representative Michele Bachmann, suggest the governor was influenced by close ties to lobbyists for the vaccine maker, Merck, or donations from the drug company.

One potential explanation that has received far less attention is the influence exerted on Mr. Perry by a close confidante with expertise in women’s health: his wife, Anita Thigpen Perry, a nurse, country doctor’s daughter, and career-long advocate for victims of sexual assault who has been a vocal proponent of immunizations. . . .