by Julia Proctor

Created on: February 13, 2007   Last Updated: May 04, 2007

Texas governor Rick Perry recently passed a law making it mandatory for girls to receive the HPV vaccination before entering the sixth grade. Since this law has been passed, there has great controversy surrounding it and the moral issue of giving young girls a vaccine for the cancer-causing virus human papillomavirus.

What this vaccine comes down to is health. According to the American Cancer Society, about 10,000 American women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer this year and about one-third of them will die. Worldwide, cervical cancer is the No. 2 cancer in women, causing over 470,000 new cases and 233,000 deaths a year.

Also, about 500,000 precancerous lesions (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia Grade 2 and 3; CIN2 and CIN3) are diagnosed each year in the United States, and about 50 to 60 percent are attributable to HPV16 and HPV18 - two strains the Garaisil vaccine protects against. Even the removal of precancerous lesions have their risks. Removal of these cells can cause a weakening in the cervix (especially if repeat procedures are needed) and can potentially cause problems during pregnancy down the road.
And yet, people have questions on whether or not this vaccine should be administered.

It is administered so young so that it is complete before girls begin having sex. Parents are worried that the administration of the vaccine is an open door for young girls to begin having sex sooner. There is no evidence to support this claim. HPV is not the only STD. And parents need to speak with their kids about all the dangers of sex including pregnancy and STDs. The vaccine can be a way to open the lines of communication about pre-marital sex. Parents should be talking to their children about this topic. If parents have talked to their daughters and have given them all the facts, a vaccine for one STD is not going to encourage young girls to have sex earlier.

For those parents who have religious reasons or just feel very strongly about not letting their daughters have the vaccine, there is an opt out clause. Parents also have the option of merely telling their children they are getting a vaccine, they don't have to tell them what it is for.

Parents have also expressed concern about the side effects of the vaccine because it is so new. But according to the Center for Disease Control, tests on the vaccine included 11,000 females, ages 9 to 26, worldwide and no serious side effects were reported.

Cancer vaccines do not come around often. This vaccine can save lives of thousands of women. You don't tell your child to wear a seatbelt so they can drive recklessly and speed. You do it because it could save their life. It can save mothers, daughters, sisters and friends no matter how young or old. It's time to forget about the stigma, and help save lives.

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