Monday, May 14, 2007

States Block Cancer Vaccine

70% of all cervical cancer is caused by HPV. Merck has come out with a vaccine that is 100% effective against all HPV caused cancers, vulval and vaginal diseases as long as it was given as a vaccine and shows little in the way of side-effects. This vaccine comes in 3 doses at a cost of around $360.00. West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and New Mexico have all blocked legislation that would allow young girls to be vaccinated. Other states have the legislation on the table waiting to vote on this issue as well. The argument for banning the vaccine in young girls is that being vaccinated will promote promiscuity. Furthermore, there is still a year left in the study before the trials have been complete.

You can read more here.

Some questions:

-Should the government regulate based on a moral compass? (i.e. tell the little girls you can't have this vaccine because you may or may not become sexually active earlier due to the immunity the vaccine gives you?)
-If this was a required vaccination for school, would you have your little girl vaccinated? If so, at what age?
-How do you feel about this already being on the table in a number of states and voted on in others, when the trial has yet to even be completed?
-What are your thoughts on the cost?
-Would you get the vaccine assuming you are female?

2 comments:

glenna marshall said...

No, I would not get the vaccine myself because my husband and I are faithful to one another. I would not let my daughter get it (if I had a daughter) because in a sense in would be saying "No, you should not have sex before marriage, but just in case you do...." I certainly wouldn't have "young" daughters get it either. If the law required it for school...homeschooling it is. They cannot make us (so far) vaccinate for a disease that is a result of sin that our children have not yet committed. I don't know if that makes sense...you can probably word it better than I, JRazz. I give a resounding "NO way!" to the government on requiring this vaccine.

misawa said...

Requiring the vaccine - absolutely not! It's not like we're talking about some form of pox that's contagious just being in the same room or building.

I don't have any kids yet, but my initial inclination is the same as Glenna's. That said, I think this is very different from the putting the teen on birth control argument - that it just gives them sexual carte blanche.