Misty Media Sex Blog

October 10th 2005, 15:38 Jeff Sela

A vaccine which prevents infection by several varieties of the HPV virus has completed a successful large-scale trial. It might well be available within a year.

HPV can be caught from having sex with an infected person. Condoms reduce the risk of infection, but don't eliminate it. Some forms of HPV seem to increase the risk of cervical cancer, although only a small percentage of those infected with HPV will get cancer.

The scary thing about this is that some religious conservative types are actually suggesting that the vaccine shouldn't be used. Apparently it will encourage sexual promiscuity. As though young women are going to think “now that I'm vaccinated against several strains of Human Papilloma Virus I can go out and have unprotected sex without slightly increasing the chances of getting cervical cancer later in life.” I doubt kids actually pay much attention to what the vaccines they're given are for.

An article by Katha Pollitt has one perspective on why right-wing Christians might prefer sex to be more dangerous than it needs to be:

Christian conservatives have a special reason to be less than thrilled about the HPV vaccine. Although not as famous as chlamydia or herpes, HPV has the distinction of not being preventable by condoms. It's Exhibit A in those gory high school slide shows that try to scare kids away from sex, and it is also useful for undermining the case for rubbers generally—why bother when you could get HPV anyway? In 2000, Congressman (now Senator) Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, who used to give gruesome lectures on HPV for young Congressional aides, even used HPV to propose warning labels on condoms. With HPV potentially eliminated, the antisex brigade will lose a card it has regarded as a trump unless it can persuade parents that vaccinating their daughters will turn them into tramps, and that sex today is worse than cancer tomorrow. According to New Scientist, 80 percent of parents want the vaccine for their daughters—but their priests and pastors haven't worked them over yet.

1 Comment

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1. ::: Debbie Crawford, January 31st 2007, 15:56:

   Response to Katha - I say yea that a vaccine is available, but I am very opposed to making any vaccine mandatory. I am a Christian Conserative and I have raised some very nice children Thank You. I believe the vaccine should be offered to girls with perental permission. The vaccine prevents HPV not cancer. The issue with Christians is not the sex it is just one of many sins, it is one of promoting fellowship with God and the more sin that enters into our lives the less we seek God. Sexual sin is the worst because our body and heart (soul) is involved and it is harder to turn away from and resume fellowship with our Lord. We believe as parents we have a responsability to our Lord to raise our children to love and trust him for our choices. I love my children and I am not harsh, I encourage them to read their bible and pray and to repent for sins and try to do better. When you learn to serve the Lord you have a good, blessed life. Please do not paint Christian conseratives as the bad guys. I still have one 14 year old at home and I have told her about the vaccine and she just said well when I am ready for that kind of relationship with a boy I'll consider it, but I'm not ready now so I don't want it. Now why would I want to force her to have it? If you have both breast removed that will prevent breast cancer, heck have a hysterectomy that will prevent all cervical cancers and babies, so should we make these options mandatory? I just do not believe a drug manafacturer should be trying to pass laws making their product mandatory. It won't be long till we won't have any personal choices to make the goverment, drug, and oil companys will make them all for us. I might as well buy stock in Merck and profit from the ignorance of people that will pass laws governing our health.