Girl Rejects Gardasil, Loses Path to Citizenship

ABC News ^ | Sept. 11, 2009 | SUSAN DONALDSON JAMES

[nickcarraway]

Teen Asks Why She Should Take Vaccine If She is Not Having Sex, Worries About Dangers Born in Britain in 1992, Simone Davis got off to a rough start in life. Her biological mother abandoned her as a baby, and her father couldn't care for her.

At 3, Simone was adopted by her paternal grandmother, Jean Davis, who married an American in 2000 and moved them to Port St. Joe, Fla.

But because the adoption was not recognized in the United States, Davis embarked on a near-decade quest to get Simone U.S. citizenship.

Now 17 and an aspiring elementary school teacher and devout Christian, Simone has only one thing standing in the way of her goal -- the controversial vaccine Gardasil.

Immigration law mandates that Simone get the vaccine to protect against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, which has been linked to cervical cancer.

But Simone, who has taken a virginity pledge and is not sexually active, doesn't see why she should have to take the vaccine, especially since it's been under fire recently regarding its safety .

And none of her American classmates is mandated by law to be vaccinated.

"I am only 17 years old and planning to go to college and not have sex anytime soon," said Simone. "There is no chance of getting cervical cancer, so there's no point in getting the shot."

Since 2008, the government has required that female immigrants between the ages of 11 through 26 applying for permanent resident or refugee status receive Gardasil, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2006.

Simone and her adoptive mother she still calls "Nanny" sought a waiver for moral and religious reasons and were recently rejected by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

[TADSLOS]

Rick Perry tried this crap in Texas with American citizens and damned near got lynched.

[originalbuckeye]

I am for enforcing the law, too. this is BAD LAW. I wonder if any other countries force their immigrants to have this unproven vaccine.

[Hodar]

Forcing one to use a drug is not freedom.

Now let's think this one through for a second.

This is a vaccine, like vaccines that are required on every student to attend elementary schools (small pox, polio, flu, etc.). Most vaccines are done for the benefit of society as a whole. In this case, giving a person an immunity to a sexually spread virus that is tied to cervical cancer, seems to be a good thing. She may not be sexually active, but is her future husband banging everything that moves?

This is not a drug, this is a vaccine.

[Fractal Trader]

Here’s one for the list

[Little Pig]

Not every foreign-born woman, since my 31-yo wife didn’t need it to get her greencard.

[LearsFool]

You seem to think that if you don't like a law, you can ignore the law.

You seem to think that a law ought to be obeyed whether it destroys liberty or not.

[Hodar]

I wonder if any other countries force their immigrants to have this unproven vaccine

I take it you have not travelled internationally very much. Vaccination requirements are not uncommon at all. In fact, if you go to certain 3rd world countries you would be a fool to refuse to get vaccinated. Why die from something that you can avoid? As to your claim that this is unproven, that is false

Gardasil was approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2006. At the time of its approval, Merck & Co. said that clinical trials had proven the vaccine to be between 90-100% effective in preventing the transmission of some strains of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that cause cervical cancer. The approval of Gardasil was much hyped, with Merck claiming that it had the potential to eventually eliminate most cervical cancers. Link

[BenKenobi]

Terrible law. Gardasil has killed young women before. This is a death sentence for some, and is evidence of the power of the Gardasil lobby.

[Hodar]

You seem to think that a law ought to be obeyed whether it destroys liberty or not.

Let's see, do you think we should send our children to school without having vaccinations?

DtaP or DTP 4 doses (one dose must be greater than 4 years)
Polio 3 doses (one dose must be greater than 4 years) MMR 2 doses
Hepatitis B 3 doses
Varicella (chickenpox) 1 dose after 12 months or older OR Reliable history of disease OR Current lab immunity

Age of Child-7 years through 18 years
DtaP, DTP or Td 4 doses (must have 1 dose within last 10 years) OR 3 doses if Td series started after age 7
Polio 3 doses MMR 2 doses
Hepatitis B 3 doses
Varicella (chickenpox) 1 dose if given prior 13th birthday OR Current lab immunity OR 2 doses if given after 13th birthday

Link

These are done to protect society, otherwise a single person can infect the entire country and how many people do you suppose would die? Perhaps you would be happier if we had an outbreak of Polio that killed a couple million children? This is done to prevent a 'plague' from killing massive populations, thereby allowing us to live in post-medival societies.

Laws are made to be followed, if they are bad laws, work to have them removed. It's just that simple.

[tioga]

now THIS is the kind of girl we want to come and be a citizen.....what is wrong with the fools running our government....where is their common sense?

[originalbuckeye]

On the contrary. I go to Europe regularly. I am just not aware of the requirement in any other country for this vaccine. Meanwhile, this topic is in my field of work. Most people are aware that viruses mutate with regularity. This vaccine only works against a handful of the HPV strains and not necessarily the most virulent right now. The best vaccine in the world is to say ‘no’ and fall in love with someone else who had the strength to also say ‘no’.

[Hodar]

Gardasil has killed young women before

Sources please.

[freekitty]

You are so right. It is a bad law.

[LearsFool]

Who's talking about polio?

If you were serious about combatting venereal diseases, you'd be advocating laws that go far beyond mandating one single vaccine, for one single disease, and only for immigrants.

When you advocate a serious plan for combatting venereal diseases in this country, I'll take your argument seriously. Until then, you're doing nothing but advocating for Merck.

And assaulting liberty.

[Hodar]

The best vaccine in the world is to say ‘no’ and fall in love with someone else who had the strength to also say ‘no’.

While I agree; this is simply not realistic. There is no upside to Cervical Cancer, it really has no benefits that I am aware of. As to other country's laws, I believe we are a sovereign nation - don't like our laws, then don't come here.

I understand and will grant you the assumption that the HPV virus mutates and may not be 'current'. However, isn't an ounce worth of prevention worth a pound of cure? We are playing game with statistics, are we as a nation better off preventing 0.000000001% of a chance of cancer from harming our population?

As for young women who enter our country and remain virgins until they marry, what percentage of girls follow this tradition? The one's that do not may catch and spread this disease; thereby infecting others.

I have no problem making these sort of requests upon immigrants, they want to come here, they need to adopt our customs, learn our languages and follow our laws. They were not invited, they chose to come.

As for international travel, think India, for example
Link

[HKMk23]

The Grand Canyon of a flaw in your argument is the assumption that it’s smart to do a “blanket” vaccination campaign that includes people not at risk of exposure. It’s Fat government “logic” that says, “Well, 80% of the female adolescent population (by our estimates) are in this risk category, so we’ll just impose our ‘solution’ on 100% of them.”

Reality, where you and I would like our government to actually visit someday, evidences — strongly — that there is not a compelling State interest being advanced, here. This is just your ever-present nosy Nanny attempting — yet again — to hijack Law to force an entire bloc of the populace to be saved from themselves entirely without any regard for whether or not a given individual actually needs to be — or even wants to be — saved; completely mutilating these individuals’ Constitutional Rights in the process.

With your brand of devotion to the Rule of Law, you may feel free to regard yourself as a modern-day Tory.

[LearsFool]

are we as a nation better off preventing 0.000000001% of a chance of cancer from harming our population?

Are you really willing to sacrifice liberty for that gain, my FRiend?

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

Immigration law mandates that Simone get the vaccine

When did immigration law mandate that all girls who enter the country must get the vaccine? I've never heard of that.

[Hodar]

When you advocate a serious plan for combatting venereal diseases in this country,

Are there vaccines for other venereal diseases? A one shot and you are immune for life type vaccine? Nope .... just this one as far as I know.

What is the up-side to Cervical Cancer? Please enlighten me to the benefits of HPV, how is it helpful? Once you get it, how do you get rid of it?

Here's a hint, there is no up-side to Cervical Cancer. There are no benefits to HPV and there is no cure once you are infected.

So, my assualt on your liberty is going to save lives, prevent infections of a disease that has no cure, and will likely impact one of your offspring at some time in their life. Guess I'm just a bad person.

[norton]

So, we are either a country of laws, or we are not.

Fine, the law applies to immigrants over the age of eleven. This kid was apparently eight when she immigrated, well under the age required by a law passed long after either her entry or her application for citizenship.

She was outside of the target group when she came here and when she applied. She was already well along in the process when the law passed less than two years ago:

Unless you believe in retroactive laws, and unless they go back and inoculate every other youngish female who got here before 2008, you shouldn't have a problem.