A Food and Drug Administration panel voted 13-0 today to endorse a promising new vaccine that could stop viruses that cause nearly 70 percent of all cervical cancers and genital warts, but the potential distribution of the vaccine is causing political and cultural controversy.
Apparently, some so-called family values types would rather see girls and women die of cervical cancer (3,900 die each year) than support the widespread use of a vaccine that might make sex look safer. Since I doubt the fear of cervical cancer is the deciding factor when girls choose whether or not to have sex, this vaccine won’t spark a sexual boom.
As someone who has a free pap screening to thank for catching the problem in the pre-cancer stage when I was in my early twenties, I feel it is negligent to withhold a safe vaccine for the HPV virus based on family values.
I didn’t catch the HPV virus because I decided to become sexually active, I caught it because of rape or behavior that stemmed from rape.
Even though I only spent one night in the hospital, my surgery (cold knife conization) had a brutal effect on my body. Long after the bleeding and cramping finally ended, I barely had the energy to move. When summer arrived, the heat frequently leveled me. Nearly a year passed before I felt normal again.
But I was lucky.
With this vaccine, others won’t have to rely on luck.
This case is also another example of the hidden dangers that can harm rape victims. For more on the dangers that can follow rape, read these posts:
Girls and alcohol poisoning
Recognizing the heroes nobody sees
Rape judgments
I wish my experiences were completely out of the norm for rape survivors, but I haven’t found that to be true, especially among those of us who bought the lie that what happened to us was our fault.
Also posted on my blog, http://abyss2hope.blogspot.com
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My family values include opposition to cancer. I never thought anyone would need to print bumper stickers like that, but we live in a strange time.
To be fair: someone from the Family Research Council stated on NPR that the FRC is all for the HPV vaccine, since people can be sexually assaulted or may marry someone who has contracted the virus.
This is course is awful,but of course it doesn’t make a difference if someone one gets HPV because they decide to become sexually active right? They should get the vaccine due to either of those possibilities with no judgements either way.
It is almost as if you are saying well “I got it the right way”.
Cooper,
I’m not saying I got the virus the right way. I’m saying that parents who think they don’t need to give their children the vaccine as soon as it is safe — because their children won’t do anything that puts them at risk — are forgetting about rape and childhood sexual abuse.
I still can’t believe that any parent would refuse to give their child this vaccine because “my child wouldn’t do that” or “I don’t want to encourage my child to have sex.” From a public-health perspective, it makes sense to get the vaccine before becoming sexually active. Rape aside (purely for the sake of argument), how much are you willing to bet that your child’s life will turn out just as you want it to, or even just as she wants it to?
I personally plan to cart my 10-year-old to the doctor the instant a vaccine is available.
Well, i guess they’re pro-genital warts?
I mean, they’re saying genital warts have a redeeming feature–one that offsets any sufferring caused by genital warts–so i cannot but think “pro-genital warts” would be an accurate way to describe them…
Oh dear god. We hear on the one hand that women, even on birth control, even celibate women, should behave as if “pre-pregnant” because we never know when a magical foetus will sprout — yet on the other hand women should be perfectly able to protect themselves from all STDs without any medical help because suddenly we do have control?
The morality issue is beside the point! This vaccine has not been in trials long enough – we have no idea what the consequences will be. 5 woman who conceived near the time of the vaccine injection gave birth to babies with birth defects. We are going to give this vaccine to 9 year old girls for school entry and require boosters every three to five years for their entire reproductive lives? There will certainly be more birth defects with the number of unplanned pregnancies in this country – but even more frightening than that is what the long term exposure to this vaccine might do to the reproductive organs of these girls. The vaccine actually caused lesions in those that had the infection. Are doctors going to do an HPV test everytime every girl/woman comes in for a booster? Remember DES? That was only taken by a small portion of the population, and it is still affecting the next generation. This vaccine will target an entire generation of girls. Mass medical experiment. Nothing to do with morality – its about safety!
Sorsha can you give me cites or direction re the lesions and the birth defects? I keep a database for women’ s reproductive health and don’t have these.
Yes, the vaccine needs more clincial testing and yes, there could be problems as there is with any drug or procedure rushed to market. {Also; why are we not talking about giving it to BOYS?) But I think it’s definitely the way to go.
Abyss2hope, I too had a conization with a lot of negative after effect, many years ago, and found out later two things I didn’t know at the time. (I was busy fending off a total hysterectomy and oopherectomy–for a blip on a PAP ferrcrissake! ). They do like to collect our bits.
The adverse effects of gyne surgery get swept under the carpet. They can be disastrous. Lost your libido? Sex now painful? Here, take this hormone. Oops we neglected to mention, it can cause gyne cancer.
Never assume the knife is a cure. Often it only changes the problem. Even minor gyne procedures are not without adverse effect, and not because something went ‘wrong’. Even tubal ligation can cause serious problems, including early men0pause.
Also worthy of noting, PAPs can be scewed by as little as yeast or bacterial infections. Probably a good idea to have a couple spaced tests that return positive before considering conization.
Yup. I think the vaccination is in the right direction. Definitely.
It’s actually sexist to make women and girls get the vaccine. Why? Because they may be assaulted? The men should be vaccinated. They are the spreaders—Awoman can’t get it from a woman, only from a man.
Yes , it’s true that women can’t get it from other women. Men and women should both recieve the vaccination, but women are more importantly targeted because they are more vulnerable to assault. It’s not sexiest , it’s reality!