You may recall that last year there was a lot of discussion about the Gardasil vaccinations against several strains of HPV (Human Papillomavirus). In some states they have been mandated for young girls of school age. Some states like South Dakota have not mandated them, but have offered them to school-age girls at taxpayer expense.
We shouldn't be surprised, but now the manufacturer, Merck, is looking to expand into the male market.
From Associated Press:
The sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer in women is poised to become one of the leading causes of oral cancer in men, according to a new study.
The HPV virus now causes as many cancers of the upper throat as tobacco and alcohol, probably due both to an increase in oral sex and the decline in smoking, researchers say.
Though we often discuss frank topics at Dakota Voice, still, I don't think I need to go any further in explaining the connection between male and female HPV here.
Actually, this isn't the first we've heard about the risk of oral cancer from HPV. Last May I posted an excerpt from a Canadian article on the subject.
I've said it before, but I'll say it again because the truth of it hasn't changed a bit.
How smart is it to go to all this vaccination expense, trouble, and risk of immunizing our children, when sexual responsibility will do the job at zero cost and zero risk?
God's design for human sexuality is one man and one woman for life. When we follow the manufacturer's instructions, we don't have to worry about STDs. They're just not an issue. Acting responsibly saves us time, money and worry.
We didn't have these kinds of problems on a wide scale when America was a nation interested in honoring and obeying God. Is our sexual freedom really worth all these problems?
4 comments:
You're kidding right? All of the self-righteous, condescending talk about good choices ignores the simple fact that teens (and not just young teens) are having sex. Vaccinating young people against this virus could help to wipe the virus out and in turn decrease the CANCER rate in the U.S. Who would not want to do that?
Bob,
Do you have a teenage daughter? Imagine if she got raped one day by someone with HPV. I'm sure you have raised her to abstain from sexual activity until she's married, but through no fault of her own, she now has a virus that can lead to cervical cancer.
Wouldn't you wish you had gone through the "trouble" of vaccinating your daughter?
Think, Bob.
First, my daughter is taking Ju-Jitsu lessons, so odds are she'll be able to fend off a rapist. I also plan on teaching her how to shoot a gun and shoot it well, so she will be even better able to fend off a rapist.
Second, you're making an assumption that if someone did manage to get her gun away from her and was superior to her in the martial arts, and successfully raped her, that he would automatically have HPV.
Third, you're assuming that if he got her gun away from her and outmatched her martial arts prowess and had HPV and successfully raped her, that she would automatically get cancer (not all do).
Fourth, you're assuming that if he got her gun away from her and outmatched her martial arts prowess and had HPV and successfully raped her, that she would automatically get cancer (not all do), that she could not have a regular pap smear which would catch the cancer in time to do something about it.
You're making a lot of long-shot assumptions to justify (a) exposing my daughter to a poorly tested drug that has serious side effects and (b) sending my daughter the message that I expect her to screw around.
Sorry. I'm banking on good moral, weapons, and martial arts training.
Bob,
Yes, I am making assumptions. But I make them because, as hard as it may be for you to believe, these things DO happen to people. Not every young woman knows self-defense or owns a gun, and many rapists do have sexually transmitted infections. Yet you still disagree that they should be vaccinated against a virus that they very well could contract through no fault of their own?
That, to me, is a better and safer preventative measure than teaching your daughter how to use a firearm. The side-effects of the HPV vaccine may be a slight deterrent, but having one's face blown off from a misfire is KINDA worse.
Good morals, weapons, and martial-arts training are all well and good, but they don't ALWAYS work. And since they don't always work, there IS a chance that your daughter (or for the sake of argument, if that makes you feel better, your friend's daughter) could contract the virus involuntarily.
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