Conservatives’ HPV vaccine dilemma: are they anti-cancer, or just anti-sex?
Proof that vaccinating girls against the HPV virus does not cause promiscuity puts culture warriors in a spot
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/16/conservatives-hpv-vaccine-dilemma
I find this bit so amusing I am including it verbatim:
According to a recent study, giving children tetanus shots will not, in fact, encourage them to stab themselves with rusty nails or be less cautious when playing outdoors. Various political organizations have advocated against the tetanus vaccine, arguing that tetanus shots send the message that recreation is acceptable, and that if children know they’re protected from lockjaw, they will be less vigilant about avoiding the kinds of cuts and scrapes that can lead to deadly nervous system infections. Attempts to require tetanus vaccination have met extreme backlash from conservative groups who argue that mandating the vaccine is an assault on parental rights and family values.
Even bills that simply would have made the vaccine free for low-income children without mandating it were vetoed by Republican governors. Doctors hope that these study results, which show that tetanus-vaccinated children are no more likely to engage in unsafe recreational behavior than their unvaccinated peers, will increase the tetanus shot rate for children of parents who fear that tetanus shots encourage risk-taking.
At this point, you’re thinking, I hope:
“What in the world is this lady talking about? Everyone gives their kids tetanus shots! You’d be irresponsible not to inoculate your child against tetanus, and you’re nuts if you think that giving a kid a tetanus shot will make him be less careful about slicing his skin with filthy rusted metal. And there’s absolutely no political controversy around tetanus shots.”
You would be right. If only the same were true of the HPV vaccine.
I think the whole article is interesting reading, but felt that the part above would be most interesting to my reader(s), not that I expect many of my reader(s) to be in the class of people who would promote against vaccination.
This is just more of the anti-science attitude that is now pervasive in our society.
