It has been brought to my attention yet again that the major pharmaceutical companies such as Merck have successfully lobbied the Republican government via extensive payments and donations to make vaccinating children mandatory. It is know that preservatives in vaccines contain mercury, which produces long-term mental effects and can produce autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders in some children. Such substances are banned in Japan, Europe, Russia and England. I think this is outrageous, as their next step is to make a flu vaccine mandatory for all individuals on the pretense that a winter flu will kill millions. Last October President Bush vetoed a bill that would have banned the use of mercury in flu vaccines despite the fact that he pledged in 2004 to support such a move. There are also lobbying attempts on the part of major pharmaceuticals to force vaccination of young women starting at 11 years old against potential sexually transmitted diseases and the possibility of cervical cancer.