Never discuss politics, religion or – Gardasil – at a dinner party
November 3, 2008 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
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Have you ever heard that saying that polite people never discuss religion or politics at a dinner party? I think we need to add Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, to that list.
Some people are so strongly for the vaccine for girls as young as 9 years old, while others say “over my dead body.” The arguments fly fast and furious when it comes to the safety, efficacy, and ethical issues of giving Gardasil to our children.
You know, I have no idea what side of the fence I’m on. A couple of years ago, I was hired by an online health site to write about HPV and the vaccine’s availability, from both a young woman’s point of view and a mother’s point of view (For Mothers and For Young Women). When I wrote the pieces, my daughter was 17 and I was thinking I really wanted her to get the vaccine. But I was only hearing one side of the story. The more I began to listen to other side, I began to wonder if this is a good idea.
So, what exactly is Gardasil?
Gardasil is a vaccine that protects against four of many strains of human papillomavirus (HPV). Of these four, two are responsible for about 70% of cervical cancer cases. HPV is an extremely contagious sexually transmitted infection (STI) that doesn’t need full intercourse to be spread. All it takes is skin to skin contact. Women who contract HPV, unless they develop genital warts, don’t have any symptoms.
Governments have been pushing to have this vaccine made available to all girls before the age of 12, before they might become sexually active. Once you’ve been exposed to HPV, the vaccine won’t do any good. So, the thinking is if you get the girls before they become sexually active, then we’ll significantly reduce the chances of infection.
This all sounds good in theory but there are flaws to this whole thing.
1- The studies done for the safety and efficacy of the vaccine were small and not over a life time, so we don’t know what the long-term effects of the vaccine are or even how long it will work.
2- The vaccine only protects against 70% of cervical cancers, not all.
3- Opponents fear that girls will develop a false sense of security and not get the recommended Pap tests to check for cervical cancer, resulting in a more invasive cancer being found later if one develops.
4- Girls will not take into account that the vaccine doesn’t protect them from other STIs or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
5- Opponents also feel that this is going down a slippery ethical slope. That if people don’t realize that there are consequences to their actions, there could be more problems down the road.
So – what do we do? Do we vaccinate our children because the drug company and government tell us it’s safe? Or have we learned from a whole bunch of other medications that have been rushed through the system and wait and see? I think I’m in the second group now. How about you?
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Tags: cancer blog, gardasil, HPV vaccine, HPV, human papillovirus, genital warts, pap tests. cervical cancer
I am on the fence about this, but most likely I will not get my daughter vaccinated. To be honest, I didn’t even want to give her the new Chicken Pox vaccine.
Each time you get a vaccine or flu shot or injection of another drug, you’re also getting exposed to preservatives in the drug. I had a spinal block for back pain once, and later found out the drug they used had caused a disabling, painful, and incurable spinal cord disorder. You just never know what’s in the vaccines, and without long-term testing, there’s no way to know what the effects will be.
I’ve already paid to have my adult daughter immunized (it was several hundreds of dollars since she’s out of the age group for free shots and none of our insurance covered it). She was already sexually active and could possibly already have been exposed, but I wanted to give her the best chance possible in being protected against the virus. I think some of the arguments against are pretty thin (girls will think they’re covered against all STDs–well, educate them!, girls won’t get Pap smears–educate them!, it only protects against 70% of cervical cancer…that’s way better than 0!). Various vaccines have been around for years and I can’t remember any that ended up being dangerous (that might be selective memory, though). Medications, yes. Vaccines…I really can’t remember one (other than the possible shedding of polio from oral vaccines, but this isn’t oral). I do think an awful lot of resistance to this vaccine is because it’s for an STD. I think a lot of parents think their girls won’t become sexually active, but they most likely will one day and who knows what viruses their partner will carry. And there’s always a risk (scarily high) that their daughters will be exposed to non-consentual sexual acts, too.
I am on the wait and see side as well. No one knows what will happen in 15 or 20 years. Will having this vaccination cause problems with conceiving? Will it lead to birth defects ? Perhaps our immune systems will be harmed further. Perhaps this virus will simply change faces and become even stronger.
I too am on the fence.
What will be the long term effects? I know in Nova Scotia, when the girls are in grade 7 (12/13 yrs old) they will be given the vaccine compliments of the government.
Do I allow it? Will my child/ren have some effects that have yet to be documented. I am a confused mom. I am also scared that if I agree, something will happen to my children. My daughters are 10 and 7 yrs old.
I’m very skeptical of government promoted vaccines. I will teach my children about safe sex and condom use but I won’t submit them to government testing.
As the parents of a 15 yo girl, we have decided not to vaccinate against HPV virus. At this point there just isn’t enough history about the vaccine to warrant exposing my child to it. I do worry about the forcefulness the government seems to be pushing this with, and I think there are lots of intelligent ways to avoid being exposed. We may be taking a risk by not vaccinating her, but I honestly believe there is a risk giving it to her too!
I have a 16-year-old daughter who is getting the shots right now. I have known quite a few women who have experienced cervical cancer. I decided to do what I could to try to protect my daughter from it. I realize that it’s not 100% sure, but I feel that the benefits outweigh the risks, at this point. I have another daughter who will be turning 11 in a few months and I plan to get the gardasil for her, as well.
What I find MOST humorous about the vaccine is the commercials. Smart looking, engaging women staring into the camera, “I’m doing all I can to prevent HPV…” and all I can think is. “Yeah, except the one thing that is 100% effective, NOT having sex.” Perhaps I was just raised differently but I believe in sex education as well as empowering young women by telling them that they can NOT have sex and still be normal. In fact, it is 100% effective against preventing STDs. I just can’t look someone in the eye and say “I’m doing all I can to prevent this” unless I actually AM doing all I can to prevent it by not taking the risk at all.