From a liberal feminist perspective, the current HPV policies on vaccinating young girls do not promote the agency of young women to make independent self aware health choices. As previously blogged, the vaccine is being distributed by individual school boards, resulting in a permission slip arriving home for parents of young girls ages nine to thirteen to sign. However, the vaccine which is said to prevent HPV is not a school trip requiring a permission slip; it is a serious health decision which should be made by the young woman of which it affects. As the long term health consequences for the vaccine are not known at this time, especially concerning this age demographic, and the likelihood of contracting HPV is linked to VERY personal lifestyle decisions (concerning condom use, pap testing, partner choice etc), the choice to get the vaccine or not to get the vaccine are extremely individual. These decisions can not be made by a mother and father, but must be made by the individual who will be most affected.
The decisions young women make regarding their own sexual health must be educated choices. If Canadian policy has dictated that girls are old enough to be vaccinated for a largely preventable sexually transmitted disease, than these girls must also be old enough to be thoroughly educated about the implications of the vaccination. The existence of permission slips which give this decision into the hands of well meaning parents does not result in women having control over their own sexual choices through education. Instead the sexual agency of these girls is given away. Giving away a young woman’s right to make decisions which pertains to and may permanently affect her own sexual choices, is therefore a blatant disrespect to women’s sexual rights.
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I absolutely agree with your perspective. My opposition to the HPV vaccine is not so much rooted in the vaccine itself, but the way in which it is being unabashedly pushed upon girls without involving them in the decision making process. The introduction of the Gardisil vaccine had so much potential to create opportunities for the school system, parents and their children to talk about safe sex issues - unfortunately, the awareness campaign and parental permission slip approach have failed to rise to the occasion. Instead of drawing attention to, and discussing the behaviours that either increase and/or decrease one's risk of contracting HPV (or other STIs) the vaccine is being presented as a covetted bandaid solution, generating fear and uncertainty, as opposed to empowerment and knowledge around the consequences of engaging in sex. The perspective represented in your post was so freshing to see!!! Thank you!
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