The HPV vaccines Gardasil and Cervarix have received their fair share of controversy since their approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2006 and 2009, respectively. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are now discussing whether or not the vaccine should be used by boys in addition to girls.
The vaccine was originally designed to protect young women aged nine to 26 against the two types of HPV that are responsible for about 75 percent of cervical cancer cases and two more types that cause 90 percent of genital warts cases. However, it also has been found that the vaccine helps protect against 90 percent of genital warts cases in young men aged nine to 26, in addition to anal and penile cancers.
The main argument against the vaccine for girls is that it encourages early sexual behavior and promiscuity, as some girls may falsely believe that they are protected from all sexually transmitted diseases after receiving the vaccine. In addition, most opponents of using the vaccine for boys claim that it is unnecessary for heterosexual males, as gay men are 17 times more likely to develop anal cancer than straight men. The Daily, however, believes that both of these arguments are flawed.
It is not reasonable to assume that choosing to vaccinate one's daughter with Gardasil or Cervarix will cause her to become sexually active at a young age. The vaccine is recommended to be administered at age 11 and would be received by a child just like many other vaccines — without much accompanying explanation.
There is no reason to assume that 11-year-old girls would start being sexually active as a result of a vaccine, especially when they are not presented with the details about its function.
There is no reason to assume that because the vaccine mitigates some of the effects of risky behavior, girls will therefore be encouraged to pursue those risky behaviors to a greater extent. To a great degree, whether this vaccine is taken as a free pass or a precautionary measure by girls depends largely on how it is presented to them.
It also makes little sense to recommend the vaccine only for homosexual men. Just because homosexual men are more at risk to contract anal cancer, that does not mean that heterosexual men have no risk at all. It remains possible for straight men to contract the diseases Gardasil protects against, and the vaccine should thus be recommended for them as well.
Nobody is forcing this vaccine on anyone. A recommendation by the CDC or FDA does not require every single child to get vaccinated. Parents retain the right to decide what they want their children to be protected against, for whatever ethical or cultural reasons they deem appropriate. However, that does not mean that the vaccine should not be made available to those who choose to take advantage of its protection.
