In the news today I saw that Michigan was trying to pass a law making it mandatory for women to get HPV cervical cancer shots. The series of three shots costs $360 dollars and prevents HPV from spreading into cervical cancer. According to the MSN Health website the “American Cancer Society estimates that cervical cancer will be diagnosed in 9,700 women nationwide, and that 3,700 will die.” I do not think that this is fair. While I am all for preventing cancer I do not agree with making the shots mandatory. What about families or women without health care? How are those women supposed to get the mandatory shot?
Indiana is also pushing for this to be passed. I feel if they want to pass this then they need to lower the price or offer assistance to those of us who would otherwise not be able to afford it. I find it also interesting they are trying to force this on us, because it is something that can be cured on its own. “About 80 percent of sexually active women will be infected by age 50, but for 90 percent of those infected; the virus is naturally cleared from the body and becomes undetectable.” This means only 10% of the women will benefit from the shot.
September 13, 2006
Mandatory Cervical Cancer Shot
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Making this vaccine state mandated is a mistake. Because this topic involves moral issues and the method in which we educate our youth, the government should leave it to those people and organizations better able to cope with the issues, such as parents, planned parenthood centers and doctors.
Parents should discuss the option with their child, when they feel their daughter is old enough to understand the information. This occurs at different ages depending on the maturity of the child. It should be covered as a part of health education with STD topics. Parents have control as to whether their child attends the class, and also have the right to attend with their daughter.
By law, a doctor can prescribe birth control to a 14 year old without their parent’s consent if she specifically asked for them not to be told. I believe the doctor should also be able to discuss the vaccine with the girl at that time.
The cost of the vaccine is prohibitive for the at risk group for cervical cancer, those who cannot afford regular gynecologic care. We can hope that the cost is reduced as supply increases and that funds are available so those who wish to take the vaccine can afford the bill.
Another problem we face is the fact that many children respond negatively to the current vaccines that are mandatory. My grandchildren are allergic to the DPT shot, which has made it difficult to enroll in public school. Until the HPV vaccine is released in a big way to the general populace, the ratio of bad reactions can not be factored.
I appreciate your calling attention to this difficult topic. I have a 12 year old daughter that I need to educate. I will recommend the vaccine but I don’t want her to think she is safe from STD’s because she got the shots.
Comment by love2fish — September 14, 2006 @ 2:30 am
I was watching the Today Show this morning, and they were discussing vaccines needed by teenagers. This was one of the vaccines that they talked about.
I became very angry when the cost of the vaccine was mentioned, and the doctor kept talking about what a small investment this was in your daughter’s future!!! $360.00 is outrageous for any vaccine, and parents not being able to afford that has nothing to do with “investing in their daughter’s future”.
They did bring up one interesting point that I have not heard any other media source talk about though. They said that the boys should also have this shot. They can carry the virus and pass it onto the girls. I would like to see this fact made more public.
The following are two interesting articles on this subject. I think that this is an important vaccine for the teens to have, but I do not think that the states should mandate the vaccine. I would like to see an establishment like Planned Parenthood have the vaccines available and maintain the same privacy and financial rules they are able to use for other services.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14518361/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13461194/
Comment by kjamrozy — September 16, 2006 @ 12:38 am
I agree that the vaccine for cervical cancer should be made accecible to all women because we all need it and the government should think on that issue.
Comment by Cara Fletcher — March 18, 2007 @ 12:41 am