Samuel Rowan
Human Biology Writing Assignment 2
Issue 11 Should Vaccination for HPV be mandated for Teenage Girls?
Introduction
Scientists have been able to prove in the United States alone that HPV (Human
Papillomavirus) is the number one sexually transmitted infections and are infecting the majority
of younger women. They said that it is more commonly seen in young women, which is why
they think that by vaccinating young teenagers and preventing any chance of receiving the
infection will promote better health for the community and for the US. In this issue we see a
science professor Joseph Balog who is all for the Vaccine to be mandatory and we will see his
argument later. We also see two Law Professors Gail Javitt and Lawrence Gostin who disagree
that it should be mandatory and argue that it is not necessary, for the HPV virus does not pose
that significant of a risk. We will look at both of their arguments and compare and contrast the
pros and cons of their research.
Summary of the issue (pros and cons)
The good things that can come from HPV being mandated for Teenage Girls would be
fewer and fewer people would get infected with the virus. There are a lot of younger people who
are having intercourse and these kids are getting infected with the HPV infection. The pro for the
Vaccine being mandated would help the public heath, and increase the Health of not only the
teenagers but also the parents and the community. One of the cons that I happen to agree with is
a “long term safety and effectiveness of the Vaccine is unknown”. If they do force all the teenage
girls to take this vaccine, how can they be certain that it will be long term, or that it will actually
fix the problem that we are seeing with the teenagers in this country. Another con are finances,
where to find the funding for a mandate like this, mandating a vaccination like this will require a
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lot of money. Is it really worth it to the American people to put forth money towards a
vaccination that is premature and not a guarantee to increase Public Health and prevent HPV?
The uncertainty of the mandated vaccination is a con that Gail Javitt really tried to point out in
her article. One of the things that Mr. Balog tried to show in his paper was that Public Health and
safety of the Community and general public comes first. He said that the vaccine needs to be
mandated in order to prevent harm to others. The main thing about the pros of this issue, it’s not
about choice or leave it up to the parents to choose. It’s about the safety and health for all who
live in the United States, regardless of Freedom to choose because public safety comes first.
With the cons, this Vaccine is not a sure thing, or a guarantee. It also has not been tested on all
teenagers and according to scientists is premature. The government and the public also do not
have the funds for such a mandate. They also did not mention anything about vaccinating
teenage boys as well. The vaccine needs more research and more testing before it becomes a
mandate or before it becomes mandatory.
Critique of pros and cons
Mr. Balog tried to justify this mandate by first quoting a John Stuart Mill saying “the
only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized
community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others”. (Page 22 3rd paragraph) According to
the statistics that Mr. Balog was able to provide over 46% of high school students have sexual
intercourse with another person by the time they graduate and also 75% of young people have
sexual relationships before they marry. He shows the risks that teenagers have, and the
dangerous circumstances that they themselves do not know that they are in. He says in his article
that over a 3rd or more of those young people who have sex while in High School or Junior High
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are infected with this virus. This is one of the many reasons why he wants this Vaccine to be
mandated to teenage girls because of the risk factors.
He also points out that not everybody can afford Health insurance or even a doctor. He
points out that with this vaccine going to all teenagers that it would reduce the risk of getting the
virus for all people no matter what the age. He also thinks that it would reduce the number
people who get infected with cancer and STI’s. He also thinks that this vaccine must be
mandated regardless of what the parents think, he said “Minors have a right to be protected
against vaccine-preventable illness, and society has an interest in safeguarding the welfare of
children who may be harmed by the choices of their parents and guardians”. (Page 24 middle
paragraph). He also thinks that some of the minors that are being infected are being caused
mainly because of their parents and guardians not keeping a closer eye on their minors.
He used another piece of statistic that I find important in his argument “In the US, it is
common to use vaccinations to reduce disease, including mandatory vaccinations for diseases
such as measles and polio that have relatively low incidence rates for serious harm”. (Page 25,
paragraph 3). He also said “the difference with HPV infection is that vaccination is being
recommended to prevent cancer and genital warts that are related to the sexual behavior, which
raises moral, social, and scientific concerns among some segments of society”.(Page 25,
Paragraph 3). With the mandatory vaccination more and more infections are can be prevented is
the major point he is trying to explain. As the goals of science advances and more research are
being done on the vaccinations then the risks and consequences of the infections will be reduced.
Gail Javitt agrees that the approval for a vaccine that fights against a cancer causing HPV
is indeed very necessary but she and Lawrence Gostin believe that it is premature. They have
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shown throughout the history of the United States, they have tried to make vaccinations
mandatory at Public schools thinking that it is because the virus goes from person to person is
the cause of so much infection and disease. But when a few states implemented the mandatory
vaccine, they did not see that big of a change in the statistics as far as less people getting
infected. She states “Herd immunity theory proposes that, in diseases passed from person to
person, it is difficult to maintain a chain of infection when large numbers of a population are
immune”. (Page 29, paragraph 4). Another con that can go with this is, the government may be
putting too much of their power to use. A columnist wrote “For the government to mandate the
expensive vaccine for children would be for Big Brother to reach past the parents and into the
home”. (Page 31, Paragraph 4). Although the virus can be transmitted through sexual behavior
they have shown that it does not put all children equally at risk.
Gail argues that it should be to the Parent’s judgment and their own decision on whether
their own child should be vaccinated or not, especially if the mandate does not guarantee that it
will help prevent the virus. They do agree that it is recommended to inform the public of the
risks of this virus and what it may cause and lead to, but do not make it forced upon the public as
well. They said that based on the statistics on the Vaccine, many girls have shown resistance to
the virus and it has given them protection and that it will improve the public health in a way.
However, mandating the vaccine would still be premature and is ill-advised from many
physicians and scientists. The Vaccine is still pretty new and requires much needed research
before making it a mandate.
My Opinion
I do not agree with the vaccine being mandated and forcing children and especially only
girls to take this vaccine. I think that boys should equally have to take this vaccine because it has
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been proven that a lot of the viruses and infections come from boys who sexually transmit them
to girls. I do agree that we need improvement for the public health because there are some
parents who are not mindful of their children like they should be and they do put the public
health at risk. But this does not mean that the government can jump in and abuse their powers
and force parents to make their girls and their girls only to take this vaccine that does not
guarantee safety from the virus. I agree with Gail Javitt all the way, in that, the vaccine needs
more research and more testing done before considering the mandate option. We need to make
sure that government and the public have the proper funds before jumping into such a huge and
serious, and expensive matter.
It has been proven that the infection can harm boys just as much as it can harm girls and I
really think that should not be ignored. I am impressed with the advances of science and
medicine and how much progress the US is making in those fields. However, I also think that
they need to be sure that they have researched everything possible about the Virus and Vaccine
before making some mandate based on theories and a few experiments.
References
1. J.G. Hodge and L. O. Gostin “School Vaccination Requirements Historical, Social,
and Legal Perspectives”. Kentucky Law Journal 90, No.4
2. J. Duffy, “School Vaccination: The Precursor to School Medical Inspection”.
Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences.
3. R.K. Zimmerman, “Ethical Analysis of HPV Vaccine Policy Options,” Vaccine 24,
No. 22.
4. C. Stanwyck et al., “Vaccination Coverage among Children Entering School-Unites
States, 2005-06 School Year,” JAMA 296, No. 21.