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So I’m guessing you’ve heard about the new HPV vaccine, Gardasil, and how it essentially prevents cervical cancer because cervical cancer is caused by certain strains of HPV. A vaccine against cancer. Cool, right? Amazing, I know. Wouldn’t it be great if Gardasil could be a standard vaccination given to all girls before they start having sex, thus preventing cervical cancer and genital warts? Of course!
Well, have you also heard about all the christian conservative pro-”family” anti-sex groups that don’t want this drug to be required? Did you know they’re against it because they’re afraid a vaccine for an STD encourages teens to have unprotected sex like mad? Because if a girl really wants to protect herself from STDs she should remain celibate until marriage, and if she has sex and gets HPV and cervical cancer before that day, well then, she should have abstained. Beause not having to be afraid of HPV apparently equals permission to start humping all things that move. And god forbid we allow unmarried youths to fuck.
Crazy. But! It gets crazier.
Want to know which state is the first in the nation to require the HPV vaccine for girls entering 6th grade?
Texas.
Want to know which state’s conservative Republican governor signed an executive order to make the vaccine free to uninsured girls between the ages of 9 and 18?
Texas.
Want to know which state’s Medicaid program is going to offer Gardasil to women between 19 and 21?
Yup, Texas.
How crazy is that? Read the full AP article here. A great article about the effort to block the vaccine is here.
Tell everyone you know! I’ve been telling my coworkers the good news all morning. They all look at me the same way I stared at my computer screen at home: “Really? Texas? Really?’
Yes. Texas. But back to the conservative anti-sexers. HPV is a small fish in the STD pond. Sexually transmitted diseases are the lifeblood of the abstinence only crowd. Without STD’s to scare teens away from sex, all the anti’s have is pregnancy, and we saw how long they fought to keep Plan B inaccessible. What scares me most is what they might do when someone finds an HIV vaccine. How hard will these groups fight to protect their most well known and deeply feared “consequence” of unprotected pre-marital sex? And for how long will politicians allow this to happen in order to stay in office?
I never thought I’d say it, but thank god for Texas.
.jameson.
