Posted on 09/13/2006 4:14:30 AM PDT by Abathar
A bipartisan group of Michigan lawmakers wants all sixth-grade girls to be vaccinated against cervical cancer.
A Republican state senator who is the lead sponsor said it's the first legislation of its kind in the U.S.
The vaccine was approved by federal regulators this summer and hailed as a breakthrough in cancer prevention. The shots prevent infections from strains of a sexually transmitted virus -- human papilloma virus, or HPV -- that can cause cervical cancer and genital warts.
At the time, conservatives expressed concern that schools would require the vaccine for enrollment. They argue that such mandates infringe on parents' rights and send a message that underage sex is OK.
If approved, the measure would go into effect for the next school year.
The vaccine was approved for females between ages 9 and 26. In studies, it was credited with preventing disease from the two types of HPV that are responsible for approximately 70 percent of all cervical cancers, according to Detroit television station WDIV.
The legislator who proposed the requirement noted that, as with all other school-required vaccines, parents may opt out of this requirement for medical, religious or philosophical reasons.
The good news is, this is a parental rights issue. My husband and I can do the reading, do some soul-searching, discuss it, and come to a descision -- as responsible parents. Other parents are welcome to do the same.
Since HPV is the cause of most cervical cancers, this vaccine will prevent a lot of malignancies.
I agree, both of mine will get it. My girls could be virgins going into their wedding day, it sure doesn't mean the groom is. I really don't see the harm in this at all, no one knows what the future of their children will hold. If this can prevent them from getting a terrible disease someday then its our responsibility as a parent to make the decisions now.
The shots are not as effective if given later in life.
I think protecting my daughters is an excellent idea. I just do not want the government to make that decision for me.
Ok, sounds good. I'd encourage you to read about what exactly vaccines are and how they work. I'm really baffled why this vaccine should be suspected of causing infertility any more than, say, the chicken pox vaccine. All it does is cause the body to develop an immune response to the virus. The reproductive system is unaffected.
>>>I'm so sorry your family had to go through that!>>>
Me too. I miss my mom terribly. Of course they had been divorced ( my parents ) for many years before it hit, but it was one of those things you find out after the fact. She tested positive for HPV and then later was diagnosed with cervical. It took 10 years for the cancers to spread, but I am glad I got 10 years with her.
Yes and it can be transmitted from hand to hand ( with open wounds) or mouth to mouth contact as well. It is the most common STD in America and the AMA has been fighting to have the label of STD removed from the disease since it doesn't necessarily have to be spread by sexual contact.
Way I see it: say Jane is a good little girl and waits until marriage to have intercourse. She's followed the rules her entire life. Her adoring husband had a youthful fling and contracted this disease and, like 50% of those infected, showed no outward signs of infection. He gives it to Jane while they are trying to have their first baby.
Cervical cancer is extremely aggressive and extremely deadly. If you were Jane's parents, wouldn't you wish you had opted for the vaccine?
>>>I'm fairly certian he was being sarcastic.>>>
I'm not. Not based on other threads that I've been on with this vaccine.
There are only three things that I am sure of:
-death
-taxes
-John Kerry will flip after he flops.
>>>**promiscuity: any sex outside of marriage
What color is the sun in your solar system?>>>
LOL! Your sun is RED. Like the DEVIL you fornicaten' heathen!!
>>>Sluts deserve cancer.
You are one sick individual. :-)
Could it be that we both need to be more aware of sarcasm?>>>
Glad to know it was sarcasm. Based on some opinions on these threads, you never know.
I'd like to think your theory is true, rather than that people really believe what they are posting about sex. It ends up sounding more like the restrictive attitudes toward women and sex that another religion spouts.
"To me the logic for rejecting the shot is that they want you to immunize the child when she is 11 years old. Basically stating to the child "that you are going to have sex soon and we don't want you to get genital warts". In my opinion its like taking a child to get on birth control pills."
There's this new approach to parenting you might want to know about where you actually TALK to your child and explain why she's being immunized at this age and discuss why she also needs to wait to have intercourse. You explain that this does not protect against other STDs or pregnancy.
If your daughter gets this vaccine and suddenly thinks she's free to have rampant sex, you aren't doing your job as her parent.
Or I suppose it could be "just another" childhood shot. Granted, my childhood was a long time ago, but the only thing I ever knew about a doctor's appointment was whether I was getting a shot or not. I don't recall ever being told what any of them were for, or asking.
"Or I suppose it could be "just another" childhood shot. Granted, my childhood was a long time ago, but the only thing I ever knew about a doctor's appointment was whether I was getting a shot or not. I don't recall ever being told what any of them were for, or asking."
That approach would work as well. No real need to get into the details. Giving 6th graders birth control pills is entirely another thing.
What doesn't work is "praying" your daughter stays a virgin until marriage and that she marries a man who's never had sex with anyone else and who never will have an affair. That's what we all hope for; doesn't happen too often.
Hey, I was 31 when I got married. Every "gift" has a shelf life. :)
I am FOR the government promoting the hell out of things that are good for you.
I am FOR the government warning of things that are bad for you.
And I am FOR a CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT to once and forever stop the government at all levels from mandating either.
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