HPV Vaccine: Mandatory?

[valkyrie]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

Can you think of a more convenient way to require (or even promote) vaccination?

I'm out in left field (or maybe it's right field in this case, LOLZ) on this, but I have to say that requiring any type of medical treatment/procedure really, really creeps me out. Why should doing so be convenient?

Having a medical treatment/procedure required for members of one gender but not the other creeps me out even more, especially when it's in a context like this (school) that is at best tangentially related to the cause of the disease (sex).

[Drolefille]

I'm all for requiring it for guys too, if the research proves that it is effective and safe for them as well. HPV is related to penile cancer, but more importantly, guys spread it just as much as girls do. (Not that penile cancer isn't important, it just isn't as common as cervical cancer from HPV)

I see your point about requiring girls to get it in a co-ed school environment, but I don't think it makes a huge deal in the long run.

[KSig RC]

Originally Posted by valkyrie

I'm out in left field (or maybe it's right field in this case, LOLZ) on this, but I have to say that requiring any type of medical treatment/procedure really, really creeps me out. Why should doing so be convenient?

I see what you're saying, but let's leave that behind - if the government has decided it should make it "mandatory" (or as mandatory as possible), is there a better way?

Originally Posted by valkyrie

Having a medical treatment/procedure required for members of one gender but not the other creeps me out even more, especially when it's in a context like this (school) that is at best tangentially related to the cause of the disease (sex).

I mean . . . it's very similar to why women get breast cancer exams and most men do not - simply put, the danger is much higher for females.

Having the shot done in school prevents us from having to have a massive effort to promote the shot, or creating increased bureaucracy (such as the "Department of Have You Had Your Shots" or whatever) . . . it's certainly not a perfect solution, but I can see why it was the first thought.

[valkyrie]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

I mean . . . it's very similar to why women get breast cancer exams and most men do not - simply put, the danger is much higher for females.

Right -- I agree with this, but the "having something required for one gender but not the other" in the context of health/public school is creepy. To me, this is separate from the "it affects females way more than males" issue.

If the government makes a vaccine mandatory, I'm not sure if there is a better way -- I can't really think of anything else besides some type of "Department of Have you Had Your Shots" (sort of like animal licensing for kids, LOL).

Of course none of this directly affects me in any way, but I strongly believe that medical decisions should be left to the individual.

[PGD-GRAD]

Perhaps this has already been touched upon, but choosing to have sex and having unplanned sex are two different things. Many young people lose their viginity far too early because they were drunk. In fact, many young women end up pregant because they and their partner were consuming alcohol when sex took place. If a pregnancy occurs, then certainly the opportunity for a sexually-transmitted disease is also possible since no protetction was used.

Another threat for young women that few want to talk about is the possibility of rape, either date rape (sex with someone they know) or violent rape by a stranger. In neither case was the case planned, but in both cases no protection would be used. Many young women who are victims of rape were virgins until that time. If this immunization will protect them, then I don't think it's a bad thing.

My daughter is 25 and is currently undergoing the procedure to protect herself in case of an unplanned sexual experience. She is a young professional and indicated that several of her friends have also opted for the vaccine for protection. She graduated from Vandy, works in Nashville, and has always made good decisions. This was entirely her choice, and my wife and I support her fully.

Just this morning I read a news report that Merck, the company that is ultimately responsible for the vaccine, gave a sizeable $$ donation to Texas Governor Perry days before his decision. A coincidence? He swears yes, but who knows with politics the way it is these days? I would like to think he had the best interest of young Texas women at heart, but Texas is so conservative I admit I was shocked when it came out of Texas of all places.