The Smelker Seven

New Vaccine

As I am sure anyone who has a TV, or who reads/watches the news has seen, there is now a vaccine available that could prevent cervical cancer in girls. One of my friends took her five year old daughter for a check up today and they were encouraging her to give this vaccine to her daughter! I had seen the commericals promoting the vaccine on TV, so decided to research it a bit.

All the ads refer to the virus as HPV, or human papillomavirus; but actually its full title is genital human papillomavirus and is generally ONLY transmitted through sexual activity. So, a doctor wants to immunize a five year old for a sexual disease?? Does anyone else see something wrong with this picture?

Teagan and Hayley are up to date on all their shots and as a result haven't seen their doctor lately; but I am sure when I next take them in I will be told that they should have the vaccine. The Washington Post ran a story on the vaccine back in October 2005, and this is a quote:

""I would like to see it that if you don't have your HPV vaccine, you can't start high school," said Juan Carlos Felix of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, who leads the National Cervical Cancer Coalition's medical advisory panel."

Do I really want my high school dictating what I do and don't inject into my children? CNN ran a story on this yesterday, and read excerpts from letters from listeners. One person said they were thrilled with the vaccine while yet another parent said they were disgusted with it, and the only way to avoid HPV was to abstain from pre-marital sex. What was so sad is that I was in the lunch room at my workplace when I saw this; and a gal, maybe in her 20's said, "I think it's a great ideaa. I mean you're going to have sex anyway, so let's get protected. What do you think?" I gave her my opinion and I think she was surprised. But I have run into this lassitude before, with parents. They say, "Oh well, they're gonna do it anyway..." and basically fling their hands up in the air. HELLO - all people (well not all) eventually learn to drive, but do we hand them the keys to the car when they're 12, because, "they're gonna do it anyway?" Why are we stricter on our kids about things like driving, and yet let them give their bodies away like yesterday's trash because they are supposedly protected?

And for the first time here is a great reason for the schools to promote abstinence instead of protection, something that is non-religious. Will they? I bet not! The school districts (for the most part) are more interested in keeping the peace than in promoting a life of self control. They will preach protection, when it is apparent that most teens, who think they are immortal and invincible anyway don't give a hoot about protecting themselves when engaging in sexual activities.

I am also concerned that at some point in the near future this is going to become a standard vaccine, like the chicken pox vaccine has become in the last decade. And when it becomes standard it gets harder to get your kids into school. I know that we refused the chicken pox vaccine and got all kinds of flak from the school about it.

What is this world coming to when a vaccine for sexually transmitted disease is offered? I certainly hope all parents research this carefully and don't feel pressured by health officials and schools to give their daughters something that can be fully prevented with abstinence.

Labels: Hayley, HPV, Teagan

posted by The Smelker Seven @ 6:07 PM