If Only There Were a Vaccine for Stupidity

In comments, Ken dropped the link to this article, which reports that the debate over the human papillomavirus vaccine is raging again now that various states legislatures are considering bills to make the vaccine mandatory.

Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is "the most common sexually transmitted infection in the country and the cause of nearly all cervical cancers," and a vaccine for it known as Gardasil was approved by the FDA in June of last year, but not before a protracted struggle with conservatives, who argued that inoculating girls against HPV would encourage promiscuity:

"I personally object to vaccinating children when they don't need vaccinations, particularly against a disease that is one hundred per cent preventable with proper sexual behavior. Premarital sex is dangerous, even deadly. Let's not encourage it by vaccinating ten-year-olds so they think they're safe."—Leslee J. Unruh, founder and president of the Abstinence Clearinghouse.

"Giving the HPV vaccine to young women could be potentially harmful, because they may see it as a license to engage in premarital sex."—Bridget Maher of the Family Research Council.

Other groups, like Daddy Dobson's Focus on the Family, evidently not wanting to be rightfully accused of taking as its official position that dirty sluts deserve cancer, issued statements that they did not object to the vaccine being made available, but did oppose making it mandatory alongside other childhood immunizations against measles etc. So now they're back in the game, whining about how mandatory vaccines "take away parents' rights, send the wrong message to impressionable young girls and cost more than many parents can afford."

Sending the wrong message like, "We care about women's health." Because naturally women's health isn't nearly as important as their chastity. And never mind that this vaccine could also protect girls and women who are raped; those filthy little hussies don't even exist in this equation. Parents, of course, do have a right to raise their daughters in a cloister of ignorance, where Dates with Daddy are considered a viable substitute for a romantic relationship and a Jesus ring is meant to magically counteract the naturally increasing libido of puberty. But when the state mandates it, they don't have a right to leave their public-schooled children exposed to disease. There may actually be no better defense of judicious nanny-statism than protecting children from idiot parents.

-----------------

[The affordability question is a serious one; advocates of mandatory vaccines say that "a federal vaccine-for-children program is expected to provide the shots for low-income families for free or nearly free," and that insurance providers will soon begin covering the cost. If that's right, fair enough. If not, the state needs to subsidize the cost of the vaccines, to ensure that no family has to pay more than 15-20% of the approximately $150 shot.]