Take one controversial drug and combine it with questionable immigration policies, and the result has been chaos for a teenage girl who stands to be deported or, at best, remain in immigration limbo.

The drug in question is Gardasil, a vaccination which is supposed to act as a deterrent against certain strains of the human papillomavirus, a leading cause of cervical cancer and genital warts. Gardasil — manufactured by Big Pharma giant, Merck & Co. — was approved for public use in 2006 by the Food and Drug Administration, but the jury’s still out on how safe it really is. Side effects from the drug have ranged from convulsions to fever to blood clots and even paralysis. It’s not cheap, either. The necessary three-dose series, administered over a six-month period, costs a minimum of $300.

Further, a medical professional affiliated with the Gardasil research — Dr. Diane Harper — told CBS news that she questioned the vaccination’s effectiveness, since those inoculated are protected for a period of only five years.

The immigration policy in question is the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) decision, of last year, to revise vaccination requirements for those “seeking to adjust status to become legal permanent residents.” The new policy requires that female applicants, between the ages of 11 and 26, be vaccinated against — surprise! — the human papillomavirus.

The teenager in question is 17-year-old Simone Davis who was born in Colchester, England, and currently lives in Port St. Joe, Florida, with her paternal grandmother, Jeannie Davis. The latter is her legal guardian, and, you could say, guardian angel. Jeannie has been caring for Simone since she was a toddler; her birth parents were, sadly, unable and unwilling to raise her. She formally adopted her in 2006.

Simone, who affectionately calls Jeannie “Nanny,” is a born-again Christian who takes the mandates of her faith against premarital sex seriously. The high school senior wears a silver promise ring as a sign to indicate that she plans to remain chaste until marriage and would like to attend Pensacola Christian College to study education. The school is famous for a strict code of conduct regarding dating, dress, and entertainment.

Not only are Simone and Nanny concerned about Gardasil’s side effects, as they should be, but they are also questioning the moral appropriateness of foisting a powerful drug upon young females to prevent sexually-transmitted diseases, one which sends a message that reckless behavior is encouraged as long as the individual is inoculated. In the United Kingdom, after all, the vaccine has been cheekily christened “the promiscuity jab.”

The Davis’ dilemma has turned into a referendum about the ethics of immigration policies which, at least when it comes to the Gardasil requirement, seem more like social engineering than a legitimate health concern. While all of Simone’s other vaccination requirements and medical bona fides are up to date, and while the Davis’ filed the necessary paperwork to lobby for a religious waiver of this vaccination requirement, late last month they received a “Dear John” letter. The Department of Homeland Security and USCIS rejected their request for a waiver. The Star of Port St. Joe printed a portion of the letter: “According to the record and your statements, you are not opposed to vaccinations in any form; rather you are opposed only to the HPV vaccination. You have failed to establish that you qualify for the waiver for the health-related grounds of inadmissibility....”

The Davises have thirty days to appeal the decision, but the appeal process could take years to resolve, which would mean that Simone may be able to stay put, but can’t attend Pensacola Christian College, since the institution has granted her only a “conditional” letter of acceptance. Simone has to become a permanent resident before she can enroll as an undergraduate. If no appeal is filed, Simone can be, as the federal government puts it, “removed.”

The teenager’s dilemma is a case study in how arbitrarily immigration laws are shaped, enacted, and enforced. One can’t help feel that Simone, who is simpatico with American ideals of personal responsibility and industrious behavior, is somehow getting singled out for her beliefs. And who knew that government officials, who seem so ‘mañana, mañana’ about prosecuting illegal alien drunk drivers and rapists, could be so zealous about going after a lone teenager who has a history of following American laws and eagerly adopting American customs.

One also wonders if all those illegals who are ‘living in the shadows’ are going to be required to undergo a comprehensive health check-up, if amnesty ever becomes a reality.

Jeannie Davis is now forced to spend all her scant free time — she works as a teacher — advocating on behalf of her beloved granddaughter. As a naturalized citizen she wants to know why her rights as a parent are being ignored. As a concerned grandmother she wonders how Simone will fend for herself if she has to return, alone, to England.

A tough situation for two people who are caught up in a Kafka-like nightmare that passes for our convoluted immigration policies.

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Linda McWilliams said:

The captive audience strategy There is no rational reason for this girl to be given this vaccine. NONE. This is the first I've heard this particular story. I wish I could say that I'm shocked. But I clearly see the strategy of the gov't/big pharma collusion--to compel people into a situation where they must get vaccinated "or else," pump up the fear, whether it's about HPV, H1N1 or God knows what else...take advantage of "captive audiences"-- college campuses, gov't schools, military bases/hospitals, and prisons, watch the dollars roll in, and pay the greasy palms of all their buddies who do them favors. All at taxpayers' expense. The corruption in our country is a disgrace, and innocent people are suffering because of it. Let's ROLL, and start cleaning house!!

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September 18, 2009
Votes: +5

Jerome Gunsalus said:

	... There you have it ! This is what Obama's so called health care is all about, control !
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September 20, 2009
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Still Free said:

	How do "they" keep all their lies straight? Well put, Ms. McWilliams. Right on, Mr. Gunsalus.
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September 20, 2009
Votes: +3

D said:

This is social engineering Apparently, they don't want responsible, industrious, law abiding immigrants to the United States. They want people who will remain dependent on the government their entire lives and who will start numerous broken families whose chances of becoming self-sufficient will be slim. This will ensure a steady stream of poor to depend on government cheese for generations to come.

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September 22, 2009
Votes: +2

Green Card said:

US Immigration Reform Now From a humanitarian perspective, our fellow human beings, who migrate to support their families, continue to suffer at the hands of immigration policies that separate them from family members and drive them into remote parts of the American desert, sometimes to their deaths. This suffering should not continue. Now is the time to address this pressing humanitarian issue which affects so many lives and undermines basic human dignity. Our society should no longer tolerate a status quo that perpetuates a permanent underclass of persons and benefits from their labor without offering them legal protections.

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September 25, 2009 | url
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