by Leigh Goessl

Created on: July 19, 2007

The cervical cancer vaccination is an issue weighing on society. As scientific cures and treatments are developed, many new immunizations have been produced, and many of these injections are forced by the government. Why?

Initially the publication states vaccinations are distributed for the good of public health, and some of them really are, but what about the more questionable vaccines? Are they for the good of the public or for financial or political gain? One can't help but wonder if the true motivation for applying vaccination mandates is for utilitarian reasons at all. All too often vaccinations are rushed to market without full research and testing having been done; this can severely impact the health of individuals forced to receive these immunizations. Enter Merck and the Gardisal vaccine.

The media has highlighted the primary issues associated with this vaccination around the controversy of how this inoculation directly impacts a girl's decision to have sex. My concerns are not along these lines, as I don't see it as an issue of morals or values, but rather one of public health. In all honesty, I don't put any conviction into the "encourage girls to think about sex" argument. I don't know about other children, but mine don't question what immunizations they're getting, they just know they're getting shots!

To suggest it discourages abstinence doesn't make sense to me as people can still teach their daughters about sex and/or waiting to have sexual relations until marriage. There is no reason why parents can't talk to their children about this important topic. A vaccination isn't going to encourage a child to go have sexual relations. Sexual education is also widely integrated into school curriculum and many teens are already aware of risks of STD's. Does this mean they won't have sex? No. This is why I don't see the correlation of how giving the vaccination to one's daughter will determine whether or not she will choose to have sex.

What about the long term effects of this vaccine? It is disconcerting legislature wants to force an immunization which has potential long term effects on overall health. What happens if this vaccination has side effects that haven't been proven yet because testing has not been extensive? What if the Gardisal vaccine ends up causing other serious health issues? To date, there has not been sufficient evidence to suggest long term effects are even known.

Don't get me wrong, it's fantastic this vaccine has been developed as it's

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