Bioethics Professors Challenge Bachmann’s HPV Claims

The Takeaway

Minnesota Congresswoman and presidential contender Michele Bachmann continues to draw criticism, after making remarks this week that the HPV vaccine is dangerous for young girls. Speaking with Matt Lauer on NBC’s “Today Show,” Bachmann said that a woman on Florida told her that her daughter had received the vaccine, and “suffered from mental retardation after.” Public health advocates are encouraging Bachmann to provide proof of this story. And two bioethics professors have upped the ante, offering to pay more than $10,000 for medical records that prove the anecdote is true. Art Caplan  is a bioethics professor at the University of Pennsylvania and one of the professors offering Bachmann money for proof of her claims.

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