Irish Group R.E.G.R.E.T. Calls Out Gardasil Propaganda

May 20, 2016

If you’ve been following TMR in the last year, you may be aware that we have been reporting on the efforts of an Irish group named R.E.G.R.E.T. (Reactions and Effects of Gardasil Resulting in Extreme Trauma) which was established by parents of girls who were seriously harmed by HPV vaccination. In Ireland, unlike the United States, pharmaceutical companies cannot advertise prescription medications on television. That means that the media industry is not nearly so beholden to the pharmaceutical industry (a.k.a. “bought“) as they are here, and that translates into far more critical and more balanced press upon the subject. Of course, that doesn’t mean nonsensical articles promoting vaccines like the one referenced in this piece, don’t get published. But it does mean that they don’t go unchallenged in the press. This response to The Irish Times’ article was published today, but interestingly left out the last paragraph and a half which takes the author to task for irresponsible reporting.

Like Anna Cannon, the author of this letter written on behalf of the parents and girls of R.E.G.R.E.T., we at TMR are thoroughly disgusted with media efforts to pretend that avoidance to HPV vaccination is rooted in religious fear of sexual promiscuity. The parents of the many teenagers and young adults who were disabled by this vaccine probably wish they had withheld it for that reason. If they had, chances are good their daughters would be healthy today (though the possibility exists that they might have a slightly higher risk of developing cervical cancer in 30-40 years). Instead, their once healthy, and often athletic, daughters now have debilitating autoimmune illnesses that do not allow them to function at anywhere near the level they had previously been functioning — illnesses that Dr. Jacky Jones, the author of the Times article, completely dismisses as if it’s normal for active teenagers to be suddenly, and possibly permanently, debilitated with no known cause.

Like here at TMR, the “agenda” of R.E.G.R.E.T. is anything but “hidden.” In fact, it’s ridiculously obvious. Their sole “agenda” is healthy kids who grow up to be healthy adults. In other words, they speak out so that your child will “be one less” child who develops the devastating autoimmune disorders their children developed as a result of being vaccinated by Gardasil. The name R.E.G.R.E.T. says it all. ~ Professor

Dear Editor,

Dr Jacky Jones, in her column “Why are vaccines, like the HPV vaccination, getting bad press?” (17 May) makes a sweeping dismissal of the real-life experience of those represented by R.E.G.R.E.T — a parent-led organisation formed in response to the chronic degeneration of health experienced by our daughters in the aftermath of the HPV vaccination. Instead, in an article that claims “the science is overwhelmingly in favour of . . . the HPV vaccine”, she links the bad press to an unsubstantiated “hidden agenda” based, bizarrely, on backward sexual mores. We are a support group set up in May 2015 and now, sadly, represent 350 girls who have suffered severe, long term effects following the HPV vaccination, which is routinely administered now to girls at age 12.

This represents a statistic of 1 in 600 of those in Ireland who receive the vaccine. These 350 cases of previously healthy and vibrant adolescents are only those that have registered with R.E.G.R.E.T., we are aware that there may be many others. Considering our parents regretted consent to their daughters receiving the HPV vaccination, the claim that we should be opposed to it for religious reasons or other, is nothing but ridiculous.

The arbitrary attribution of a hidden agenda to our efforts to be recognised and helped, quite apart from not standing up, is deeply insulting to these girls and their families. Our agenda is clear, as presented to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health last December: for responsible action to be taken by government to investigate, and offer the appropriate treatment options, and to ensure that all parents are fully advised as to the the potential risks of the HPV vaccine, in order that they can make an informed decision for their children.

The vaccine manufacturer Merck, recognises 25 symptoms as possible side effects, and urges patients to seek help from their health care professional should they experience any of the listed side effects, or others, even several months after the vaccination. A fact blatantly ignored in Dr Jones’ commentary. This risk information is still not forthcoming by the HSE when parents consent to the vaccination.

We will continue our fight for appropriate recognition and healthcare provision to be put in place for our daughters, whose lives have been shattered by the fallout from the HPV vaccination. Our girls suffer daily with seizures, severe headaches, muscle fatigue, joint pain, and extreme exhaustion, to name a few symptoms, and many now find it impossible to even attend school. Their friendships have suffered, as have their interests. In short, their development to adulthood has been severely compromised, and we simply do not know what the future holds. No one who walked in our shoes for one day would deny the reality of our experience.

If there is any hidden agenda at work, it rests somewhere between the financial interests of an overly influential pharmaceutical industry, and a government healthcare service that does not wish to engage in addressing this unpalatable health issue, despite the growing international evidence of reported severe adverse events; events even outlined within the manufacturers own trials. Having been appointed by Minister O’Reilly to the “Healthy Ireland Council”, Dr Jones should be more responsible, as she is seen as one of our health ‘thought leaders’, in providing a balanced and well informed view to the readers.

The evidence shows that full disclosure of fact is necessary — anything less is unscientific at best, but is also grossly unfair. We suggest that Dr Jones looks at the evidence more closely when offering future commentary on the issue, and resists the easy path of the vilification of people who are victims, struggling every day, and with no official help to become survivors.

Yours Sincerely,

On behalf of REGRET
Anna Cannon
Media spokesperson

For more about Gardasil and HPV vaccines, click here.