I've posted before about the controversial Gardasil vaccine that claims to prevent cervical cancer. I've been distrustful of this from the get go when the advertisements were so vague--"I didn't know. I didn't know cervical cancer can be caused by a virus." What they didn't say was that the virus was a sexually transmitted one. They make it sound like it's as easy to catch as a cold. Anyway, I ran across another post about it this week and thought I'd pass it along. Click on
this link to hear things the commercials neglect to say.
2 comments:
Tami,
My dear friend Lindsey O'Connor spent several months researching the vaccine and wrote the article that appeared in the August issue of Today's Christian Woman. (And we've had several long discussions about it on Girls Night Out!) You should be able to access the article at:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/tcw/2007/julaug/2.30.html
I could write a lot of words on my opinion of the vaccine, and the marketing of it. But the bottom line is that, if it really can prevent cervical cancer (which is usually a death sentence), then it's worth it. My daughters could easily get HPV from their husband in the future if he has been exposed; they could get it by being sexually assaulted; they could get it by becoming sexually active before marriage despite my teachings to the contrary. In my mind, none of these situations warrants a death sentence, i.e. I can't assume my daughters will avoid HPV, and I can't deny them a possible lifesaving vaccine simply because I'm hoping they won't have premarital sex. (The questions about the vaccine's effectiveness and its side effects are another whole story, too much to write about here!)
Thanks for bringing this up and giving us the link to the post.
P.S. My philosophical views aside, the drug has too many possible side effects and not enough proven effectiveness. I have no plans for my daughters to get it... until or unless the drug is vastly improved and the drug company proves it to us.
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