Crazy Quarter

Invasion of Choice

Cervical cancer, or Human papillomavirus, has either increased or people are now more aware of this type of cancer than ever before. Because of the awareness, people feel the need to “take action.” Too many women today are being diagnosed with HPV. The recent controversy towards young women of today is the vaccine for this particular cancer. Should the state make it mandatory for 9 year olds to 16 year olds to take this vaccine? Most women’s health organizations think so. A lot of parents are concerned, but there are those in support to the new idea. But would this be a set-up for more teen sex? Or will it become a part of the vaccination routine for youth. Is this an invasion of choice? Yes it is.

So what is Human papillomavirus, or HPV? It is a virus that targets the cervix. There is usually no sign of the virus; however types 6 and 11 may cause genital warts. In total, there is over 200 # types of HPV, and about 19 types are consider high risk; type 16 and 18 being the highest. 37 types of HPV are transmitted through sexual contact, while others can be transmitted by contact of warts on the skin (Wikipedia.com).

When women reach age 50, 80 percent will have caught a type of HPV and about 6.2 million Americans die each year from the HPV (CDC.gov). So this vaccine is vital for women and young ladies, who are sexually active, and it should be considered. But should it be made mandatory? Yet what should not be forgotten is that the parent is the “head” of the child, not the state or government.

The only vaccine in existence, Gardasil, protects against the main concern types. The vaccine is only fully effective in women who do not have the disease already. Women and young ladies, who did already had it, were less protected against getting more. That is why they want to vaccinate young girls from the age 9. People figure that young girls aren’t having sex therefore it is the perfect time to get them vaccinated. It’s actually setting up a stage that gives girls a free reign to have sex. A message that needs to come across to young people is that this is NOT a free ticket to have sex. Some girls would take this as an insult because they will not be sexually active until they are married. Yes, later on their husbands may have been sexually active before their marriage, so that is why it is recommended to get tested for STDs if there is any doubt of “safe” sex.

The vaccination does not last for an extended time, so that it why a continuous vaccination is advised to be taken. When it comes to men and HPV, there is not any way to tell if they carry it or not. This is why it is always good to stay celibate. Not having sex is always better security to not get the HPV (Wikipedia.com). However, young people today seem to be encouraged to “explore” their sexual desires.

There are parents out there who have tried their hardest to keep their daughters “under-control”, but teenage girls have rebelled and now are sexually active. If this law does come to pass, it will certainly give each girl a wake-up call. Maybe it will show young people that sex is a more serious subject. Some young people, who are sexually active, worry parents about their young people contracting STDs. In that case this vaccine is vital for some parents to feel some sense of security in their children. Hopefully it would open the daughter’s eyes to see how the parents trust has been betrayed. The freedom and trust their parents have given them, had been taken advantage of. Now freedom and trust is cautiously given. Though some parents are okay with their children being sexually active.

So instead of every young girl, the health organizations and the state should target young ladies who are already sexually active. You may say, “the young person can always lie!” True, but there are ways to check psychically to see if the young person is active sexually. Not only would it save the state money, but also it would encourage other young ladies to turn from having sex. How? They would see that the other teenage girls do not receive the shot because they chose abstinence. If this shot does become mandatory, then there should be a class that shows every one of the young ladies the ABSOLUTE truth about sexual activity at such a young age. They should be exposed to the physical consequences and the emotional consequences. Today the “joys” of sex overshadows the consequences. This class would not be like the boring high school class, but an interactive reality check class. Young ladies need to see both sides.

One scary fact is that young ladies from the age 13 now could go to the doctor with out parent consent, and actually get the shot, get birth control, or have a pregnancy test and the parent would get a bill without being informed. The doctor, by law, can not tell the parent anything. Society is making a child an adult well before they have reached adulthood in their maturity.

In some ways making it mandatory would be a good idea; however, what kind of message would we be sending out to our young people? In the beginning I was completely against the vaccine, but it would show young people, who are sexually active, that sex is not a game. So it would be needed to be look at in another way. Instead of making it mandatory for every young person out there, just make it mandatory for those who are sexually active or plan on being sexually active before they are married. However I still feel that the decision should be made between the parent(s), or guardian, and the child. Remember that the parent is the “head” of the child, not the state or government. Are main goal should still be to encourage abstinence.

posted by *I Rawk the Mic* @ 6/06/2007 09:32:00 pm