Is This Vaccine Moral?

[Mathematician]

The issue I have is with the drug company making profits from a state mandatory vaccination, not the state mandate itself. Merck & Co, the provider of the drug Gardasil, has a lobbyist by the name of Mike Toomey who helped Perry get re-elected.

 

[Zephyr]

I think that girls should have this vaccine. I don't think it should be mandatory though.

I couldn't agree with you more. I see no reason why this shouldn't be done, but I'm not big on most mandatory things.

 

[MaddLlama]

Umm....I have a question...

Is HPV a sexually transmitted disease? Can you only get cervical cancer if you're sexually active?

 

[evearael]

HPV is a very common virus with many different strains. Some of the strains linger and can cause cervical cancer. You can get cervical cancer without it, but it is rare. This site says 99% of cervical cancer cases are caused by strains of HPV.

 

[MaddLlama]

Ah, ok so it is most commonly an STD.

Does the abstinence only crowd really think it's sending the right message to kids by saying "Don't have sex until your married, but if you choose not to listen to us, then don't bother trying to protect yourself"?

 

[Quoth The Raven]

Ah, ok so it is most commonly an STD.

Does the abstinence only crowd really think it's sending the right message to kids by saying "Don't have sex until your married, but if you choose not to listen to us, then don't bother trying to protect yourself"?

I thought the object was to keep them from knowing there are other safe options.:cover:
It doesn't matter if the woman is a virgin at marriage if her husband isn't and has already contracted HPV. Has anyone pointed out to these mental giants as yet that not being vaccinated before the vaccine was developed didn't cause extreme fear of sex before marriage, so it's hardly likely to cause a mad rampage of teenage female promiscuity?
But honestly, I'd rather see one of my daughters with cervical cancer before I'd have her vaccinated with something that may make it a little safer for her to have sex. Any good parent who really cares about their daughters would.:sarcastic
Thinking about it, I probably shouldn't have allowed my son to have his Hepatitis vaccination last week, just in case it encourages him to go out and take up a drug habit and share some needles.
Funny thing is, they're talking about introducing it to the high school vaccination programs here, and there's not a whimper about it in the media from what I've seen. If I didn't have a kid at high school I doubt I'd even be aware of that much.

 

[James the Persian]

HPV is a virus that causes cervical cancer, which each year kills tens of thousands of women world wide. There is now a vaccine that prevents HPV infections. Some people want to require schoolgirls to get the vaccine, while other people say that doing so would encourage the kids to have sex and is thus immoral. What do you think? Should schoolgirls get the vaccine or not?

Well I don't think they should be forced to have it (don't agree with forced medical procedures of any kind) but it certainly should be made available. What on earth could be immoral about trying to prevent a cancer? And please don't say it will encourage teenage sex. For a start that's going to happen anyway and secondly I seriously doubt that a single teenage girl in history has ever gone 'You know what, maybe I won't have sex because if I do then there is a chance that years from now I might devlop cancer'. Forgive me, but my experience tends to make me believe that teenagers tend to lack such a long sighted vision of their lives.

I would certainly say it's immoral to not offer the vaccine given the potential consequences. Anyone who would stoop to using the threat of cancer as a method of discouraging promiscuity probably needs to crawl back under their rock.

James

 

[Sunstone]

[Quoth The Sue]But honestly, I'd rather see one of my daughters with cervical cancer before I'd have her vaccinated with something that may make it a little safer for her to have sex. Any good parent who really cares about their daughters would.:sarcastic
Thinking about it, I probably shouldn't have allowed my son to have his Hepatitis vaccination last week, just in case it encourages him to go out and take up a drug habit and share some needles.[/quote]

Hear! Hear! It's refreshing to see an Australian adopt American common sense for once. If you keep it up, Darling Sue, we'll have to make you an honorary citizen and give you a licence to say things like, "The Columbine school shootings were definitely caused by the fact those kids were taught evolution", and, "Teaching kids about sex is teaching them to have more of it than I get --- and that's just wrong."

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Hear! Hear! It's refreshing to see an Australian adopt American common sense for once. If you keep it up, Darling Sue, we'll have to make you an honorary citizen and give you a licence to say things like, "The Columbine school shootings were definitely caused by the fact those kids were taught evolution", and, "Teaching kids about sex is teaching them to have more of it than I get --- and that's just wrong."

If that's American, than what am I? Candadian?

 

[michel]

HPV is a virus that causes cervical cancer, which each year kills tens of thousands of women world wide. There is now a vaccine that prevents HPV infections. Some people want to require schoolgirls to get the vaccine, while other people say that doing so would encourage the kids to have sex and is thus immoral. What do you think? Should schoolgirls get the vaccine or not?

Yes! Anything that has the ability to help prevent any form of cancer should be applauded.

 

[Pardus]

I'm stuck between two competing ideas.

Saving lives and overpopulation.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

It is absolutely the moral thing to do. Steve and I have been aware of the development of Gardasil for some time now since our youngest daughter turned 8. Our family doctor made us aware of the vaccine and encouraged us to look into it. As sobering as it is for us to know that our "baby" is reaching the age where we are ever more dedicated to her sexual health and upbringing, we FULLY support this.



Peace,
Mystic

 

[pete29]

Ah, you meant a moral issue about the vaccination, not the vaccine. Well, I think it's not immoral for a society and/or a government to require vaccinations against disease. The vaccination itself has nothing to do with "kids having sex".

that would be my take on it also

 

[RevOxley_501]

it should be available but not required


i will not be vaccinating my kids from anything.

 

[Anti-World]

Sex is gross but dying is sad. Maybe they are just trying to protect the child that might be raped by a person with HPV. Ya right...

 

[Quoth The Raven]

it should be available but not required


i will not be vaccinating my kids from anything.

Just out of interest, why wouldn't you vaccinate your kids against anything?

 

[Nanda]

This is silly. Choosing not to vaccinate your children will not prevent them from having sex. (Just like choosing not to provide daycare for teen mothers so they can finish highschool is not going to prevent teen pregnancy.)

 

[pete29]

I don't think there is anything wrong with girls receiving this vaccine. I do think there is something wrong with the abstinence-only crowd, however.

Abstinence does work all the time,.

 

[MaddLlama]

Abstinence does work all the time,.

It may, but how effective is the message for teenagers? Wouldn't it be better to teach them that "abstinence is the only way to 100% prevent against pregnancy and STDs, but if you choose to have sex here is a list of ways you can protect yourself"? Or, would you rather kids who choose to have sex get pregnant or contract an STD? I would rather see precautions taken, like beging vaccinated to lower the chances of cancer, than sitting back doing nothing and just hope that kids aren't having sex.

Which option is more realistic?

 

[MaddLlama]

Ah, you meant a moral issue about the vaccination, not the vaccine. Well, I think it's not immoral for a society and/or a government to require vaccinations against disease. The vaccination itself has nothing to do with "kids having sex".

The issue is that HPV is most commonly transmitted sexually. So, the assumption is that if you vaccinate kids against HPV to prevent cervical cancer, it sends the message that it's ok to have sex before your married, or even that it encourages sexual activity.

Of course, I think that's a rather silly assumption.