Texas Governor Kicks Cervical Cancer's Ass

Huh. I'm still a bit nonplussed by the news that the governor of Texas, Rick "GoodHair" Perry (the appellation assigned him by the previously eulogized Molly Ivins) has signed an executive order which makes mandatory the vaccination against HPV for all girls in Texas before they enter the 6th grade. I mean...really? Other than the idea of Rick Perry giving two figs about wimmen's health--what is causing the spot on my brain to itch is this:

What would motivate Ricker to go against a large portion of his political base--specifically conservatives who are concerned that a vaccination that might give girls and women one less thing to worry about (cervical cancer) in their patriarchy burdened lives might indeed cause them to get all freaky-deaky and start having sex and stuff. (Thankfully for these concerned folk--there still isn't a vaccine for syphilis, gonorrhea or HIV. God help the youth of America if we don't have the potential acquisition of particularly virulent diseases due to fornication to hold over their heads.)

Well, here's a possible motivation: according to the article linked above, Perry "Perry has ties to Merck and Women in Government. One of the drug company's three lobbyists in Texas is Mike Toomey, Perry's former chief of staff. His current chief of staff's mother-in-law, Texas Republican state Rep. Dianne White Delisi, is a state director for Women in Government.
The governor also received $6,000 from Merck's political action committee during his re-election campaign." The vaccine ain't cheap--the three shot series costs about $360. Hey--don't get me wrong--I'm grateful that a vaccine has been developed that truly may benefit women--but just think of the windfall to Merck (and others) if receiving it is made mandatory! How big of a coinkydink is it then that Texas is the first state to have this policy put in place? Am I the only one who smells somethin' funky?

I'm still working out in my own brain what I think about this as mandated policy--but the cynic and skeptic part of me is suspicious of the motivations of a person who is normally a champion of policies that limit womankind's autonomy. Call me crazy.