Re: In Republican Race, a Heated Battle Over the HPV Vaccine (
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/us/politics/republican-candidates-battle-over-hpv-vaccine.html)Letters to the Editor
The New York Times
September 13, 2011
Dear Editor:
After reading the article "In Republican Race, a Heated Battle Over the HPV Vaccine," I am disgusted by Bachmann's attitude towards the HPV vaccine. As a public health student, I strongly value preventive medicine strategies such as this vaccination to both improve the quality of life for patients and decrease treatment costs. Bachmann’s baseless comments that this vaccination is “dangerous” and causes “mental retardation” are grounded in political sophistry, yet they may affect a parent’s decision to have their daughter vaccinated. There are already problems with patients receiving the three dose vaccination regimen due to a lack of follow up. Instead of attempting to buttress her political chances by sacrificing the well-being of millions of young women at her political altar to provide a “distinction” between herself and other presidential candidates, Bachmann needs to take responsibility and demonstrate true leadership by promoting this vaccine.
Sincerely,
Shefali Dujari
Berkeley, Sept.13, 2011
Hi Shefali!
ReplyDeleteI like your point of view and the passion with which you wrote the letter. You are also very clear about what is bothering you about Michele Bachman's declarations to the press. Since you wrote from a public health student perspective you could have briefly argued why you think Bachman's comments were "baseless". A number, such as the estimated lives saved by the vaccine, would have made your letter stronger.
You also needed to "Provide a policy solution that focuses on systemic changes for what you think should be done".
Best
Sole