Controversial Issues
Should We Vaccinate Our Children and Grandchildren?
October, 2005
The National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) www.nccc-online.org, a grassroots non profit organization is excited about the development of a vaccine against cervical cancer. Many people are unaware of the direct relationship between HPV and cervical cancer. A vaccination against HPV will go a long way toward eliminating cervical cancer in the United States and throughout the world. There seems to be some controversy about the need for an HPV vaccine to be mandatory for all the children throughout the United States.
Kindly stop for a moment and consider this: seat belts are mandatory in driving cars. That does not mean the person driving the car will be a reckless driver. The seatbelt is simply an insurance policy that reduces the potential for injury if an accident were to occur. The seat belt does not cause the driver to be more reckless. The same holds true with the cervical cancer/HPV vaccines.
Having been injected with the vaccine does not cause a person to become more sexually-active. The vaccine, like the seat belt in the car, simply helps reduce possible injury to a potential innocent person.
The goal of the vaccines are to protect women from cervical cancer. A young women can be abstinent, but still contract an HPV infection when she does become sexually-active. Therefore, it is hard to argue not to get vaccinated.
How can we not protect our children and grandchildren against potential injury that may not be their fault at all?
I cannot tell you the vaccine should be mandatory and override a parent’s very personal desire in raising their children. That is a sensitive and constitutional issue. It does seem to me that for the vaccine to be truly effective, it should be given to boys as well as girls. Boys are a carrier for the HPV virus too. I am not a clinician. However common sense tells me the circle of transmitting the disease is not fully stopped until both boys and girls are given the vaccine. Furthermore, in ongoing studies, there may be evidence that an HPV vaccine can guard against some other forms of cancer too! I believe studies are ongoing on HPV in boys/men.
I do feel that the vaccine should be “strongly recommended” by most all medical and public health organizations worldwide and with the recommendation, hopefully most all the children throughout the United States and worldwide will be given the vaccine.
Imagine, a WIN against a Cancer!!!
How exciting would that be on our War against Cancer!!!
What do you think?
Mr. Alan M. Kaye
Chair, Board of Directors
National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC)
www.nccc-online.org
