"the seriousness of staphylococcus and other wound infections underscores the significance of God’s design for use of pointy objects to human wellbeing."

Is this particular vacine only meant for women, or can it be used on men? I fully intend to get any daughter I may have vaccinated when the time comes, but right now I'm expecting a son, and I'd rather like to keep him from being a disease vector as well.

I've given numerous vaccines, and kids don't ever ask what they're for; they already know it's so they won't get sick. They never ask "sick with what?". For all THEY know, it's bubonic plague or cooties. Makes as much sense as "mumps" or "papilloma". They don't know what those diseases are. They won't know the HPV vaccine is for an STD unless adults tell them, and since most parents don't even discuss the birds and the bees, I doubt kids would ever even know what they'd been vaccinated against.

So this idiotic thinking that kids will go out and have sex because now they'll think they won't get STDs is just stupid.

Do the people at FoF ever actually think? Do they ever actually spend time with children OR parents?

Considering how few adults are aware that cervical cancer is caused by HPV, I seriously doubt it crosses few, if any, kids' minds. I bet that in a survey, less than half of young people could even identify HPV as an STD. For those that do know what HPV is - probably those rare few who have been treated to a decent sex ed program - I believe that most kids are smart enough to realize that an HPV vaccine protects them against HPV only.

It's still true that they shouldn't have unprotected sex, though - this vaccine isn't an STD catchall, obviously, and some education is in order.

Sethrax:
Here are a few links about men and HPV. I've read elsewhere (but cannot find the link right now) that the vaccine would work for males as well, and there has been discussion about having males vaccinated. There is no test for HPV in men and it is not as dangerous for men, but men can pass HPV to women. Genital warts can be cause by HPV in men, but the only "test" for that is visual. According to the CDC "at least 50 percent of sexually active men and women acquire genital HPV infection at some point in their lives." (http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm#common )
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/sex/mg18624954.500
http://www.cdc.gov/STD/hpv/STDFact-HPV-and-men.htm
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It's tremendously aggravating that such a useful and needed vaccine might be withheld (b/c of reasons of cost and insurance) from people who need it because of the idea that vaccinating against an infection might give a kid the "go-ahead" for sex. Not to mention that making a decision based on political or religous reason seems to be against the "overall goals" of the ACIP. According to their website:
The overall goals of the ACIP are to provide advice which will assist the Department and the Nation in reducing the incidence of vaccine preventable diseases and to increase the safe usage of vaccines and related biological products.(http://www.cdc.gov/nip/ACIP/default.htm )

I would also bring up the point that a vaccine would protect women from cheating spouses. An estimated 30-60% of married people cheat depending on what your sources are. And conservative estimates say that ~40% of married people divorce and a good portion of these people remarry.

So even a woman who makes all the "right" decisions according to christian conservatives might very well be put at risk contracting STDs without her knowledge.

And those supposed "bad girls" when they get cancer and die, what do people suggest we tell there children, friends, and family? "Your mommy made a mistake when she was 16 and now deserves to die?"

I guess the response for that would be that the woman should have prayed harder and taken better care of her husband so he wouldn't cheat.

SethraK:

Yes, it works on males. In fact, two of the four HPV strains the current vaccines cover aren't for cervical cancer at all, but genital warts. The hope is, men picking up this vaccine to avoid genital warts will then no longer be carriers of the strains that cause cervical cancer in women.

Listen folks, as a Libertarian I don't think the government should be paying for anyone's health care, period. I oppose all mandatory vaccines for entry into public school, especially when it violates someone's religious beliefs to vaccinate their children.

I will resist the temptation to address the whole libertarian thing. Because the point I actually wanted to make is that no vaccine is mandatory. Every state has an exception to their vaccine requirements for religious beliefs and most have an exception for philosophical non-religious grounds. So, the religious right can rest easy, your pure daughters will still be free to get HPV and cervical cancer.

Can you point me to sites or places that have the opt out information please?

I have gotten in a lot of discussions that end with people wishing there was a way to make the vaccine mandatory so that insurance companies cover it but still leave the option for people to opt out for religious beliefs.

Thanks for the info!

Try this useful factsheet from the American Social Health Association
(www.ashastd.org/pdfs/FAQ_HPV_0606.pdf) It says: 1. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, all fifty stays permit parents to exempt children from vaccine requirements for medical reasons. 2. Forty-eight states have provisions that permit exemption from vaccination if it contradicts sincere religious beliefs. 3. Twenty states permit exemptions for philosophical reasons. These include, but go beyond, religious reasons. For example, Maine allows exemption for “moral, philosophical, or other personal beliefs.
I hope this helps!

Thank you that is very helpful, I am writing up a post to send to all my friends and family to try to light fires under their butts to contact the FDA and I always like to include as many links as possible.

Love the site by the way, I read it every day and will be wearing my feministing shirt at pride this weekend :)

The decision of whether to vaccinate a minor against this or other sexually transmitted infections should remain with the child’s parent or guardian.

The decision of whether to vaccinate a minor against this or other potentially life-threatening (eventually) infections should remain with the government.

If nothing else, said government has a valid interest in reducing the spread of HPV. That includes not only the child being vaccinated but anyone she might pass it too.

And it's flat-out sick to let parents essentially withhold a safety measure in order to threaten their children with potential death in the future as a control measure, when there's no reason for them to ever be in danger of it.