H1N1 Vaccine For Prisoners

Floor Speech

* Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, as we all know there is limited supply of the H1N1 vaccines all over our country. In Texas, there was news that prisoners could receive the swine flu vaccine before children and pregnant women. There are over 45,000 inmates who are evidently in the ``high-risk'' group in Texas. The correctional institutions believe that the convicts deserve to be vaccinated. Due to the limited number of vaccines available for Texas, the inmates may not receive them as soon as they wish.

* By what logic do you justify having inmates receive vaccinations as a higher priority than pregnant women and children? These individuals are the most vulnerable among us and should be of great concern; not to mention senior adults, caregivers, and many others that should be high on the list. When these vaccines are provided to the states it should go to our taxpayers before our ``high risk'' convicts. The government needs to step up to the plate and provide the available vaccines to the people who need them the most--the children.

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