The Back to Basics PAC continued its on-air challenge to Governor Rick Perry with a new ad, titled, "Why?" Jason Embry is reporting there is $850,000 behind the ad.
Parents of three girls have sued Gov. Rick Perry to protect their daughters from inoculation with a vaccine against human papilloma virus, which causes cervical cancer. The John Doe parents claims Perry signed an illegal executive order that requires girls in sixth grade and above to be vaccinated before they can enroll in public school. Perry's Feb. 2 order caused a furor among conservatives, some of whom say that inoculating girls against the sexually transmitted virus will encourage them to have sex. Critics also say the order violates the state's "abstinence only" sex education policy. And they claim Perry was influenced by a $5,000 political donation from Merck, which makes the vaccine. And they claim the governor does not have authority to issue such an order, bypassing the Legislature.
Todd Hill also wrote a post at the time, titled, "I Won't Stand With Rick Perry." He said it well in 2007 -- I'll let him say it again today:
Executive decision making without the advice and consent of the legislative branch of government is dangerous precedent to set. Especially when it includes essentially using your power as governor to play the role of a father for millions of Texas parents and their children. How far are Texans willing to go in allowing state or federal government to make such personal decisions as individual child healthcare? Are we really that gullible to allow this much government intervention into personal decision making?
