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Wednesday, May 22, 2013 | 9:00 a.m.

Updated: 5:28 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2011 | Posted: 3:55 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2011

Governor Defends Attack Over Vaccine Mandate

Fellow Republicans Accuse Perry of Swayed Legislation

By Irene Melchor

EL PASO, Texas —

The gloves came off and the back and forth began once again at the GOP debate in Tampa on Monday night. This time Representative Michelle Bachmann took fire at Governor Rick Perry for an executive order he gave in 2007 requiring pre-teenage girls to get a vaccine to guard against sexually transmitted diseases.

"The drug company gave thousands of dollars in political donations to the governor," Bachmann said.

"It was a $5,000 contribution that I had received from them," Perry responded. "I raise about $30 million, and if you're saying that I can be bought for $5,000, I'm offended."

And Bachmann grabbed the last word

"Well, I'm offended for all the little girls and the parents that didn't have a choice." she said. "That's what I'm offended for."

Governor Perry's mandate didn't make it through the legislative session and never became a law. But other candidates like Rick Santorum says the idea shouldn't have been considered in the first place.

"There is no government purpose served for having little girls inoculated at the force and compulsion of the government," Santorum said. "This is big government run a muck, it is bad policy and it should not have been done."

The governor did admit during the debate that he would not have handled the situation in the same way now as he did four years ago, but said he had the best interests of the younger generation in mind.

El Paso nurse, Arlene Bazea, said she can see the benefits of having young girls get vaccinated, but not as a mandate.

"I think it's important for younger girls to get that vaccine but that's up to the parents consent," said Bazea. "I also don't think it should be something they should be talking about right now. It's not something that I find important at this point in time compared to other topics."

This was only the second republican debate of several more to come. The next one is scheduled for a week from Thursday in Orlando on September 22.

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