There is much discussion right now about an executive order issued in Texas requiring 9-year-old girls to receive vaccinations against the cervical cancer-causing human papilloma virus (HPV).
Let’s not miss the point on why the Gardasil mandate is so outrageous. Some argue that a Gardasil mandate is a civil liberties violation. Others argue that Gardasil has harmful side effects and that is why it is wrong to mandate it. While those arguments both have some weight, the real issue is that mandates for Gardasil vaccinations are completely unnecessary because this cancer-causing virus is 100% preventable without vaccination.
HPV is not something caught from a casual encounter through the flu, measles, mumps or rubella: It’s a sexually transmitted disease that many are talking about fourth-graders getting without even one eyebrow raised. The Left has been so successful at normalizing unhealthy sexual behavior, even conservatives accept the mandate for saving lives, forgetting to think about what they are actually affirming.
Many are revolted but not surprised to see in an official Planned Parenthood YouTube video in which the organization's vice president of medical affairs, Dr. Vanessa Cullins, declares, “Expect to have HPV once you become sexually intimate—all of us get it.” No Vanessa, not all of us.
This flippant remark about a very serious issue is a typical left-wing tactic to downplay any consequences that might be associated with a morally questionable lifestyle. Our politically correct public education system is passing this attitude on to children by spending millions of dollars on “safer sex” campaigns, and instead of encouraging young people to avoid a promiscuous lifestyle or—God forbid—wait until they’re married to have sex, they are vaccinating them against STDs: problem solved, liberal-style.
Yes, HPV is a leading cause of cervical cancer, and there are parents who may decide they want to vaccinate their daughters, or women who might feel that a vaccination is appropriate for them. But why are we allowing government to mandate vaccinations against STDs for 9-year-olds?
Many adult women have found it to be the right choice for them. Many parents may even choose to have their daughters inoculated for any number of reasons they decide as a family. But treating HPV or any sexually transmitted disease like the common cold does a great disservice to our society. Instead of informing children with facts and healthy choices, all we’re doing is minimizing the serious consequences that come with engaging in a sexually promiscuous lifestyle.
A threat to freedom of choice and possible harmful side effects, but we would be remiss to ignore the fact that the HPV vaccine mandate is ultimately lowering the moral bar for young children.
