The Gardasil vaccine has sparked many controversial issues and debates. One in particular is the issue surrounding the role of sex education in schools. Sex education has always been a hot topic in the public education system, amongst both public and separate school boards. Whether or not children and adolescents should be taught about STIs, birth control, or even human anatomy at school, versus at home with their parents, has been widely debated. Often the role of religion comes into play here.
The vaccine was first proposed as a compulsory vaccine for adolescent girls in Michigan on September 12, 2006, only three months after the Food and Drug Administration (American) licenced the vaccine (Colgrove, 2007). The school system seemed like the simplest and easiest way to get the vaccine out to young girls, and school boards across North America have either been embracing or rejecting administering the Gardasil vaccine to their students. The reason many school boards have decided not to offer an HPV vaccine in their schools is because it goes against their values and belief systems, and it goes against everything they are teaching their students in school about sex.
In 2007, Texas governor Rick Perry signed an order requiring girls aged 11-12 to be vaccinated with Gardasil. Girls who do not get vaccinated are not permitted to enter the sixth grade (Hopkins-Tanne, 2007). Parents become outraged, claiming that providing the vaccine was giving approval of premartial sex. The state of Texas endorses a program of abstinence until marriage in school sex ed. classes (Hopkins-Tanne, 2007). Interestingly enough, despite the outrage this order caused, about 20 other states are considering bills to make Gardasil a requirement, which would give Merck, the makers of Gardasil, billions of annual revenue...just a side note.
Closer to home, the Ontario government has offered the HPV vaccine to all grade 8 girls in school, however some Catholic school boards have questioned whether the vaccination program promotes sexual activity amongst teens. When the Halton Catholic school board approved the program, the Ontario conference of Bishops urged the board to reconsider their decision, saying, "Infection with HPV...can only occur through sexual activity, which carries with it profound risks to a young person's spiritual, emotional, moral, physical health" (www.ctvnews.ca, 2007). A group of students on the Halton Catholic board council said they were upset when their voices weren't heard in the decision making process. They argued that they attend Catholic school for a reason, and are taught to practice abstinence before marriage, and that offering the HPV vaccine in their school is hypocritical and goes against the morals and values they are taught everyday (www.ctv.ca, 2007).
The Gardasil vaccine is meant to be available to all females ages 9-26. It is offered to students in school for free, which makes is available to everyone, no matter what their socio-economic status is. Issues arise when some girls are not provided with the vaccine in their school if their school board has elected not to participate for religious reasons. Is this fair for those girls? Also, what happens when this vaccine imposes on a girl's, or her parent's, religious values and beliefs? Does the HPV vaccine belong in the hands of school boards at all, or should it be in the hands of parents and their children, who better understand what is morally right for them? Upon the Texan governers plan to vaccinate all 11 and 12 year old girls, Focus on the Family, a conservation group in the US, issued a position statement saying, "Focus on the Family supports the widespread, universal, availability of HPV vaccines, but opposes mandatory HPV vaccines for entry to public school. The decision to vaccinate a minor...should remain with the child's parents/ guardians" (Hopkins-Tannes, 2007). Something to think about.
ReferencesThe vaccine was first proposed as a compulsory vaccine for adolescent girls in Michigan on September 12, 2006, only three months after the Food and Drug Administration (American) licenced the vaccine (Colgrove, 2007). The school system seemed like the simplest and easiest way to get the vaccine out to young girls, and school boards across North America have either been embracing or rejecting administering the Gardasil vaccine to their students. The reason many school boards have decided not to offer an HPV vaccine in their schools is because it goes against their values and belief systems, and it goes against everything they are teaching their students in school about sex.
In 2007, Texas governor Rick Perry signed an order requiring girls aged 11-12 to be vaccinated with Gardasil. Girls who do not get vaccinated are not permitted to enter the sixth grade (Hopkins-Tanne, 2007). Parents become outraged, claiming that providing the vaccine was giving approval of premartial sex. The state of Texas endorses a program of abstinence until marriage in school sex ed. classes (Hopkins-Tanne, 2007). Interestingly enough, despite the outrage this order caused, about 20 other states are considering bills to make Gardasil a requirement, which would give Merck, the makers of Gardasil, billions of annual revenue...just a side note.
Closer to home, the Ontario government has offered the HPV vaccine to all grade 8 girls in school, however some Catholic school boards have questioned whether the vaccination program promotes sexual activity amongst teens. When the Halton Catholic school board approved the program, the Ontario conference of Bishops urged the board to reconsider their decision, saying, "Infection with HPV...can only occur through sexual activity, which carries with it profound risks to a young person's spiritual, emotional, moral, physical health" (www.ctvnews.ca, 2007). A group of students on the Halton Catholic board council said they were upset when their voices weren't heard in the decision making process. They argued that they attend Catholic school for a reason, and are taught to practice abstinence before marriage, and that offering the HPV vaccine in their school is hypocritical and goes against the morals and values they are taught everyday (www.ctv.ca, 2007).
The Gardasil vaccine is meant to be available to all females ages 9-26. It is offered to students in school for free, which makes is available to everyone, no matter what their socio-economic status is. Issues arise when some girls are not provided with the vaccine in their school if their school board has elected not to participate for religious reasons. Is this fair for those girls? Also, what happens when this vaccine imposes on a girl's, or her parent's, religious values and beliefs? Does the HPV vaccine belong in the hands of school boards at all, or should it be in the hands of parents and their children, who better understand what is morally right for them? Upon the Texan governers plan to vaccinate all 11 and 12 year old girls, Focus on the Family, a conservation group in the US, issued a position statement saying, "Focus on the Family supports the widespread, universal, availability of HPV vaccines, but opposes mandatory HPV vaccines for entry to public school. The decision to vaccinate a minor...should remain with the child's parents/ guardians" (Hopkins-Tannes, 2007). Something to think about.
Colgrove, Dr. J. (December, 2007). The ethics and politics of compulsory HPV vaccination. British Medical Journal. 355:2389-2391
Hopkins-Tannes, Janice. (2007). Texas governor is criticised for decision to vaccinate all girls against HPV. British Medical Journal. 334:332-333.
CTV News. (September, 2007). Catholic School Board to vote on HPV vaccine.
Retrieved on September 29, 2008, from, www.ctvnews/2007918/hpv_debate.ca
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