In just weeks summer will unofficially end as students in Denver and all of Colorado end their vacations and get set for another school year. By now, parents are dutifully going over checklists and making sure that everything is in order to get their children enrolled in school as quickly and efficiently as possible. For many, that means vaccinations. But one, the HPV vaccine, is causing a political stir. On the one hand it is seen as a benefit to public health for young girls and women and on the other as simply the first step on the road to perdition.
The HPV vaccine is aimed at reducing the chances of cervical cancer, a leading killer of women in America. Statistics show that of the estimated 40,000 cervical cancer diagnoses this year, 37 percent will end in death. But the American Cancer Society says the HPV vaccine will also prevent as many as seven in ten cases of all cervical cancer.
These sobering statistics are particularly cruel to Hispanic/Latina women who “have the highest rate of new cases of cervical cancer,” according to Womenshealth.gov, a federal government source for women’s health issues. But while the trend is alarming, it may also be preventable.
Colorado law now requires parents or guardians of school-aged girls to be given information regarding the link between human papillomavirus and cervical cancer. Merck, maker of the vaccine, says the vaccine guards against viruses thought responsible for three out of every four cases of cervical cancer. Legislation, written by Colorado State Senator Suzanne Williams, requires female students to present evidence of the receipt of the vaccine prior to attending school. But parents also have the choice of opting out of their daughters getting the vaccine altogether.
“My primary reason for this legislation,” said Williams, who authored Senate bill 80 in the 2007 session, “was to get the truth out to everyone, that this vaccine does save lives and does not promote promiscuity.” But promiscuity or even sexual curiosity remain major reasons many groups, including many religious organizations, oppose the HPV vaccine. They feel the vaccine may give some young women a false assurance that if they’ve received the HPV vaccination they’re free of risk of contracting the virus.
“Abstinence is the best way to prevent HPV,” says Bridget Maher of the Family Research Council. “Giving HPV vaccinations to young women could be potentially harmful because they may see
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