The HPV Vaccine Controversy
Monday October 16, 2006
When it comes to the HPV vaccine, you are either for it or against it. Many people support immunizing young girls against the virus known to cause cervical cancer, while some believe it will cause an upward trend in unprotected teenage sex. Others may be cautious because of the vaccine's infancy; Gardasil was only granted FDA approval this summer. As states may require girls to have the HPV vaccine for school entry, the HPV vaccine controversy is heating up. Many religious and family advocacy groups challenge that the vaccine will cause promiscuity among young women. They feel the vaccine may be interpreted by young girls as permission to have unprotected sex.
Other groups maintain that with the right education, young girls will behave responsibly. They feel by teaching young girls about HPV and cervical cancer, it should not cause any rise in teenage sexuality statistics.
Regardless of your opinion, I encourage all parents to learn more about HPV, cervical cancer, and the HPV vaccine. Making an informed decision is necessary when deciding if you or your child will be immunized.
More About HPV
- What is HPV?
- How Do You Get HPV?
- How to Find Out if You Have HPV
- Do Men Get HPV
- HPV Treatment
- Pregnancy and HPV
Poll: Do you think the HPV vaccine promotes teenage promiscuity?
Photo (C)Mark Csabai
Comments
I am 18 and received the vaccine two weeks ago. It by no means changes my views on when I should start having sex. I have been taught correctly, and am not going around sleeping with men just because I recieved the vaccine, even though I believe in pre-marital sex. It all depends on how we were raised, and if the parents knows they’ve done a good job.
Why is it being geared towards girls? I am a victim of contracting HPV from a man. I think that if the vaccination is going to be mandatory is should be for both sexes.
The controversy surrounding this is the same as it was over the birth control pill. It is not permission, it is protection/prevention.
Times have changed. Yet we are obviously worried that we might regress. When our grandparents were just starting their families they were young, really young. I believe that the youth today are provided with a lot more information, explicit information and they can be well informed as to what they might be getting themselves into.
As a pre-teen I never found myself thinking about sex or the consequences of sex but they were starting to teach me in school. I think that education is more important than a vaccination but considering how many people have HPV and don’t know it, a vaccination just might be what the world needs to eliminate it for the future.