Hi, Everyone, from Sue Crosbie, Secretary of the MN Valley NOW Chapter.

I want to share some thoughts about the topic of our April meeting’s speaker, the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine, GARDASIL. We invited Jerri Johnson, a homeopath and health freedom activist, to give her perspective on the vaccine. To our pleasant surprise, Dr. Lesley Atwood, scheduled speaker for the May 19 State Conference (next weekend!) decided to come hear Jerri’s perspective. And so, we were treated to a sort of friendly informal debate on the topic.I have a 21 year old daughter who is a potential candidate for this vaccine, so I was curious to hear Jerri’s opinions. Since the meeting, I had my yearly physical, including of course the dreaded pap smear, and so I had a brief conversation with my nurse practitioner about the vaccine. I came away with a CDC information sheet about the vaccine. According to the CDC info sheet, “HPV vaccine can prevent most genital warts and most cases of cervical cancer.” Other facts on the sheet include: the HPV vaccine protects against four major types of HPV, and women will still need cervical cancer screening because the vaccine does not protect against all HPV types.
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Join us at the annual Minnesota State NOW Conference on Saturday, May 19, 2007. This year’s conference will address two timely issues affecting women’s bodies and the world today. Dr. Lesley Atwood will speak about cervical cancer, the human papillomavirus (HPV), and the new HPV vaccine. J. Drake Hamilton, from Fresh Energy, will speak about global warming and offer solutions and actions we can all take to combat this threat to our environment.

For additional information or to register, please click here to view/download the conference brochure.

April 26, 2007 - Prior Lake Public Library
7:00 p.m. General Membership Meeting

7:30 p.m. Topic: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and the new vaccine. Jerri Johnson will talk about some of the strengths and weaknesses of the vaccine and the clinical research on the safety of the vaccine. A question and answer period will follow.

Jerri Johnson is a homeopath and a health freedom activist. A founding member of the Minnesota Natural Health Coalition and the Minnesota Natural Health Legal Reform Project, she was a co-lobbyist for the passage of the Complementary and Alternative Health Care Freedom of Access Act in the Minnesota legislature. Jerri Johnson is a founding member and chair of the board of the National Health Freedom Coalition.

As a founding member of Vaccine Awareness Minnesota, Jerri holds a strong interest in vaccine safety issues. She actively lobbied for legislation which assured that parents will be informed of their option to decide not to vaccinate their child, and that parents who decide to vaccinate their child will first receive information about potential side effects of the vaccine.

In response to controversy surrounding the new HPV vaccine, the Uptown chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) has scheduled an open meeting to discuss Minnesota’s efforts to promote the HPV vaccine. Learn more about what you can do to educate your family and community about HPV and the vaccine.

This open meeting will also discuss State Representative Phyllis Kahn’s rescinded bill to mandate the vaccine and the currently proposed bill to require scientific study of the vaccine.

The event takes place at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 27, 2007, at Dunn Bros. Coffee, 34th & Hennepin, Uptown, Minneapolis. Public invited.