“I predict that Gardasil will become the greatest medical scandal of all times because at some point in time, the evidence will add up to prove that this vaccine, technical and scientific feat that it may be, has absolutely no effect on cervical cancer and that all the very many adverse effects which destroy lives and even kill, serve no other purpose than to generate profit for the manufacturers.”
– Dr. Bernard Dalbergue, former Merck physician

California Assembly Bill 659 (AB 659), also known as the “Cancer Prevention Act,” was introduced on Feb. 9 and seeks to add the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil to the list of vaccines required for boys and girls in Grades 8–12 to attend public or private schools in California. The Assembly Health Committee could hear this bill as early as March 14.

Help Educate CA Health Committee on HPV, Gardasil and AB 659

Why You Should Be Concerned

• Gardasil, manufactured and marketed by Merck, received fast-tracked FDA approval, leaving many unanswered questions about its safety and efficacy.
• Gardasil only targets nine out of the over 200 strains of HPV.
• The risk of developing cancer from HPV is extremely rare. In the U.S., new cases of cervical cancer will affect approximately 0.8% of women, and approximately 0.2% of people will be diagnosed with anal cancer in their lifetime.
• Cervical cancer is largely treatable if caught early.
• Hundreds of individuals across the U.S. are filing lawsuits against Merck, claiming Gardasil caused serious, life-altering adverse effects, including death. Since 2019, Children’s Health Defense has been supporting over 60 lawsuits against Merck, alleging the drugmaker knowingly concealed adverse events associated with its Gardasil HPV vaccine.
• Gardasil can cause serious and debilitating adverse reactions for both boys and girls, including but not limited to:
  • A multitude of autoimmune diseases.
  • Autonomic dysfunction including postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and orthostatic intolerance (OI).
  • Premature ovarian failure (POF) that leads to infertility.
  • Guillain-Barré syndrome.
  • Encephalopathy.
  • Other serious conditions, including death.
• Merck’s clinical trials of Gardasil did not look for or test for cancer prevention. Whether Gardasil provides any protection against cancer (let alone lifetime immunity) is unproven.
• For individuals with an active HPV infection at the time of vaccination, studies have shown up to a 44.6% increased risk of developing advanced abnormal pre-cancer not seen prior to vaccination.
• Over 90% of HPV infections cause no clinical symptoms, resolve without treatment and are cleared from the body by its own immune system. (A.C. de Freitas et al.)
• Since Gardasil’s introduction in 2006, the number of deaths from cervical cancer in the U.S. has shown essentially no improvement.
• This mandate would inhibit equal access to education and place students at risk for serious harm.

Gardasil still has unanswered questions on safety and efficacy. California no longer has philosophical or religious exemptions, and medical exemptions are nearly impossible to obtain. We must educate the committee members about the impact AB 659 would have on the children of California.

What You Can Do

1. Call and email the members of the California Assembly Committee on Health. Share your personal opinion about this bill using the contact information we’ve provided below.
2. Arrange a meeting with your California Assembly Member to share the facts about HPV and Gardasil and discuss your thoughts on the bill.
3. Share this page with your friends, family, religious leaders, school principals and school board members and encourage them to take action!

Please help by spreading the word to as many people as possible.

Watch Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s presentation on HPV and Gardasil for more information.

Members of the California Assembly Committee on Health

Jim Wood (Chair) (Dem – 02)
Email: assemblymember.wood@assembly.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 319-2002
Fax: (916) 319-2102
Contact Form ● Website
State Capitol (AD-02)
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0002

Marie Waldron (Vice-Chair) (Rep – 75)
Email: assemblymember.waldron@assembly.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 319-2075
Fax: (916) 319-2175
Contact Form ● Website
State Capitol (AD-75)
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0075

Cecilia M. Aguiar-Curry (Dem – 04)
Email: assemblymember.aguiar-curry@assembly.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 319-2004
Fax: (916) 319-2104
Contact Form ● Website
State Capitol (AD-04)
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0004

Dr. Joaquin Arambula (Dem – 31)
Email: assemblymember.arambula@assembly.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 319-2031
Fax: (916) 319-2131
Contact Form ● Website
State Capitol (AD-31)
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0031

Tasha Boerner Horvath (Dem – 77)
Email: assemblymember.boernerhorvath@assembly.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 319-2077
Fax: (916) 319-2177
Contact Form ● Website
State Capitol (AD-77)
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0077

Wendy Carrillo (Dem – 52)
Email: assemblymember.carrillo@assembly.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 319-2052
Fax: (916) 319-2152
Contact Form ● Website
State Capitol (AD-52)
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0052

Heath Flora (Rep – 09)
Email: assemblymember.flora@assembly.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 319-2009
Fax: (916) 319-2109
Contact Form ● Website
State Capitol (AD-09)
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0009

Vince Fong (Rep – 32)
Email: assemblymember.fong@assembly.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 319-2032
Fax: (916) 319-2132
Contact Form ● Website
State Capitol (AD-32)
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0032

Brian Maienschein (Dem – 76)
Email: assemblymember.maienschein@assembly.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 319-2076
Fax: (916) 319-2176
Contact Form ● Website
State Capitol (AD-76)
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0076

Kevin McCarty (Dem – 06)
Email: assemblymember.mccarty@assembly.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 319-2006
Fax: (916) 319-2106
Contact Form ● Website
State Capitol (AD-06)
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0006

Joe Patterson (Rep – 05)
Email: assemblymember.patterson@assembly.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 319-2005
Fax: (916) 319-2105
Contact Form ● Website
State Capitol (AD-05)
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0005

Freddie Rodriguez (Dem – 53)
Email: assemblymember.rodriguez@assembly.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 319-2053
Fax: (916) 319-2153
Contact Form ● Website
State Capitol (AD-53)
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0053

Miguel Santiago (Dem – 54)
Email: assemblymember.santiago@assembly.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 319-2054
Fax: (916) 319-2154
Contact Form ● Website
State Capitol (AD-54)
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0054

Carlos Villapudua (Dem – 13)
Email: assemblymember.villapudua@assembly.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 319-2013
Fax: (916) 319-2113
Contact Form ● Website
State Capitol (AD-13)
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0013

Akilah Weber, M.D. (Dem – 79)
Email: assemblymember.aweber@assembly.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 319-2079
Fax: (916) 319-2179
Contact Form ● Website
State Capitol (AD-79)
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0079