I cannot imagine any context in which some transient swelling and tenderness (the side effects of the vaccine) are worse than the extremely painful surgery to remove diseased parts of the cervix.
The diagnostic procedure that is done after abnormal PAP and the subsequent surgery are quite painful. Furthermore, they can render women unable to have children because their weakened cervices cannot maintain a pregnancy. Surgery also is not 100% successful in removing all precancerous cells—in some women, the lesions return after surgery, and they end up having to have a hysterectomy.
I was lucky in that I had already had two children when I had to have surgery to remove cancerous lesions. And I was lucky that the surgery completely cured me of any cancer-causing virus. Believe me, I would much rather have endured a tiny needle-stick and some swelling if that would have prevented that experience of having to undergo that painful testing and surgery. But there was no vaccine available when I was a teenager.
HPV cancers also affect men.
If ever there were a vaccine invented to prevent the type of cancer I had, I would never insist that other people take it nor accuse them of “Middle Eastern attitudes” if they refuse. All medical procedures carry a certain risk, and a decision that’s right for one person isn’t necessarily right for another.
The fact is that, when vaccinations are administered, usually the doctor or nurse hands you a piece of paper that lists all of the possible risks. That information comes straight from the CDC. Often, one of the possible risks is fatality.
It doesn’t matter if the risk of fatality is one in a million; statistics are no consolation if your child happens to be that one in a million.
The bottom line is that we each have the right to determine whether or not immunization shots (how many, which ones, etc.) are OK for us and our families.