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Texas Governor Rick Perry passed a law stating that all schoolgirls entering the sixth grade – females who are between the ages of 11 and 12 – are required to receive the HPV [human papillomavirus] vaccination starting September 2008. Texas is the first state to enforce this law, which sounds alarms in parents’ heads, especially in a conservative state.
Many parents believe that this law would be encroaching upon their rights and roles in the household. Perhaps this law is telling young girls that it is OK to have sexual relations at such a young age.
In a New York Times article, Gov. Perry stated that, “Requiring young girls to get vaccinated before they come into contact with HPV is responsible health and fiscal policy [.].” I’m sorry, but since when does my vagina have anything to do with fiscal policy?
Most adult Americans don’t even know what HPV is, what causes it or what some of its symptoms are. It is clear what the benefits of the vaccination are, but the decision to “test” the vaccination on the population when there are so many unknowns is unwise.
The human papillomavirus is a sexually transmitted disease that’s passed on by sexual activity or even skin-to-skin contact. Yes, that’s right, a condom won’t really help you here because it won’t protect you from the areas that are not covered. So don’t be tricked by the ever-popular slogan, “Don’t be a fool, wrap your tool,” because it won’t necessarily prevent HPV.
HPV is not curable and more than 50 percent of people who have it don’t even realize it because they are not showing any symptoms or health problems, passing it on to a partner without knowing.
Sorry about this one, men, but yes, you can get it too. This is not a disease that affects only women. Passing a law that requires women – young girls, rather – to get this shot hardly seems fair. Until there is a vaccination that will prevent this virus for both males and females, this law should not be in effect.
The Food and Drug Administration suggests that people who have sex at a young age, have had many sexual partners or have a partner who has had several sexual partners are more likely to get the HPV virus.
The concern that I have with requiring schoolgirls to get this vaccination is that even the FDA’s Web site admits that there are several unknowns about this shot. What are its long-term effects? Yes, perhaps it could prevent some types of cancer, but could it cause others?
It’s easy to see the potential benefits of the vaccination. The HPV vaccination helps to prevent certain types of the virus that cause conditions like cervical cancer and genital warts.
In most test cases, the HPV vaccination prevents cervical cancer in women. It’s not just women who are affected, however. More than half of sexually active men in the United States will have HPV at some point in their lives. It is important for men to realize this because they oftentimes do not have symptoms and can unknowingly pass it on to women.
Perhaps we should concentrate on developing a way to prevent HPV in men and to stop them from passing it on to women.
Rose Collins is a third-year new media major.
