Flipper flips in the war against cancer

Symbolism is fine, but actual prevention? Not so much.

By Will Collette

Flip on the right. Only four people were injured as Flip trambled over
them when he spotted the camera. For those suffering from humorous
Dyscognition, I'm kidding.

As Charlestown awaits the arrival of its rock star state Representative Blake “Flip” Filippi on Wednesday (somebody hand Ruth Platner the smelling salts), we’ve been reviewing Flip’s actual record (Click HERE and Click HERE).

Today, we’ll examine Filippi’s contradictory position on a subject that, in truth, should unite us all – the struggle to eliminate all forms of cancer. Filippi made a big show of coming to the Charlestown “Twin Peaks Preservation Stroll,” wearing the de rigueur pink t-shirt to promote “breast cancer awareness.”

His remarks were lovingly recorded in the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA Party) blog where he applauded the effort and claimed that “The cure will be found as a result of public awareness.”

With all due respect to the organizers of these “awareness” events, mere “awareness” will never cure cancer. I think there are few people left who remain unaware of breast cancer, or for that matter, most of the other forms of cancer. 

The “awareness” message should be, but rarely is, a call to arms to demand a massive, extensive amount of research on causes and cures, affordable treatment for all victims and prevention. 

Eliminating cancer-causing products and pollutants would also make a big difference—including banning common consumer products that are known to cause cancer, which is strenuously opposed by many of the very same companies that make substantial donations to cancer charities.

I think it’s time to move beyond “awareness” to start demanding the kind of mobilization of resources and personnel we are capable of, on the scale of the Manhattan Project, or the Race to the Moon or the Global War on Terrorism.

Now suppose we do this, and we discover, as is likely, that some forms of cancer, like cervical cancer, are caused by viruses that can actually be transmitted from person to person. And we find a vaccine that kills the virus.

Public health officials consider the best way to stop this form of cancer is to immunize children because that is the best time to get maximum coverage, kill the virus and stop it from spreading.

This is not idle speculation, but the exact scenario we face as we now hold the means to drastically reduce, if not eradicate, cervical cancer and other forms of cancer caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).

The obvious public health decision is to require all schoolchildren to be vaccinated against HPV to hopefully eliminate it, just as we wiped out polio and smallpox.

So that’s what the Rhode Island Departments of Health and Education decided to do, with the predictable outcry from hypocritical, if not loony, legislators like Blake Filippi and fellow Republican wingnut Rep. Justin (R-Richmond).

They have become mouthpieces for the anti-vaxxer movement that cloaks their ignorant, internet-driven views that somehow vaccines are evil under the more innocuous expression “parental choice.”

Flip told the Warwick Beacon after a Health Department informational session in Warwick that the state mandate was an “overstep” by the Government and that he will work to introduce legislation to get it repealed.

These efforts to curb immunization against cervical and related cancers put Rhode Island right up on the Anti-Vaxxer map, so it’s no longer a West Coast issue where anti-vaxxer parents are letting measles, mumps, whooping cough, chicken pox and other preventable children diseases to make a come-back. The outbreaks can be directly tied to how freely states allow people to claim exemptions from mandatory vaccination.

But the most important reason why the HPV vaccination program makes sense is that it gives us a real chance to wipe out a killer of many women and men. That's worth more than a hundred million pink ribbons.

When Flip returns to the General Assembly in January, he and his fellow anti-vaxxers will face some major disappointment as all-powerful Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello has already made it clear that he believes the decision to mandate vaccination of students is best made by the Health Department.

There are many times, places and issues where parental choice can and should be honored. This isn't one of them and I would think a self-proclaimed Constitutional “expert” like Flip would know that “parental choice” is not one of those rights specifically enumerated in the Constitution. 

Logically, the framers of the Constitution realized that not every public decision can be turned into an individual option.

As I’ve said before, no self-centered concept of personal freedom gives a parent the right to conduct germ warfare against the rest of the people. As Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson wrote in 1949, “The Constitution is not a suicide pact.” So-called “parental rights” do not trump public health. And the high cost of cancer treatment makes the HPV vaccine an amazing public health bargain.

One has to wonder if the typical Charlestown voter shares Filippi’s dismissive and short-sighted perspectives on public health issues, or if they even care. Maybe they don’t even know?

Rep. Blake Filippi seems to be establishing a reputation that is an embarrassment to the people of our district. Maybe the cure for this sad state of affairs will also be found as a result of public awareness, brought to you by Blake’s favorite blog, Progressive Charlestown.