by mongoose

Created on: April 27, 2008   Last Updated: September 02, 2010

Of course you should have your teenage daughters take the Gardasil shot. "One Less" That's the saying for the new shot, and I believe that the Gardasil shot is a necessary shot for teenage girls. My sister and I both received these shots starting in the summer of 2007, and after another shot in September and one in January 2008, my sister and I are each one less person likely to get cervical cancer.

These days, teenagers are having sex get younger and younger. I've known seventh and eighth graders to get pregnant, and so, we need to try to protect these non-abstinent teenagers. You can't stop them from having sex, no matter what you do or what you say. These free-sex teens are more likely to get STDs the more partners that they have over time, and of course, one of these STDs is the Human Papillomavirus, which is directly associated with cervical cancer. If you protect these girls with the Gardasil shot, then they are further protected against HPV and are thereby less likely to obtain cervical cancer through that virus.

Sadly if they aren't treated with the Gardasil shot, and they do happen to get cervical cancer, then they are likely to never have children. This affects most women tremendously because a lot of women do not feel complete without giving birth to their own child. If you do not feel that Gardasil is right for your daughter, you MUST have them take a Pap test once they are 18. It is the best way to find cervical cell changes that can lead to cervical cancer. Regular Pap tests almost always show these cell changes before they turn into cancer.

My point is, you have to protect your daughters in every way that you can because you can't stop them from doing what they want if they want to have sex, but you can protect from what they do not want: cancer. Also, if your daughter wants to be protected, then you have no right in denying that to her, and if you do, then you are a selfish person who does not have her best interests at heart. Have your daughter take the shot, so she can be one less person to get cervical cancer. I took the shots, and now I am protected.

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