Virginia Lawmakers May Require HPV Vaccine for Girls

It seems that Virginia lawmakers are once again legislating how parents handle their children. Most recently, state legislators proposed changes in school dietary programs aimed at reducing the number of overweight and obese children attending Virginia schools. Some parents quickly rose up in arms fearing that the next step would be to ostracize children who didn't conform or fit it into the weight standards established by the state. While that issue is still under heavy debate, lawmakers are now eyeing legislation that would require young girls to submit to a new drug that is supposed to prevent cervical cancer. While most parents do not, on the surface, have a problem with the preventative medication, they are fearful what consequences might occur for girls who opt not to submit to the vaccine. This is sure to once again stir further debate about the state's right to legislate matters of parental control.

The drug in question, which was approved by the FDA in mid 2006 is touted as preventing the human papillomavirus. More often referred to as HPV, this is, in fact, a series of about 100 different strains of sexually transmitted viruses. It obviously includes the virus that is known to cause cervical cancer. HPV is relatively common. The CDC notes that about 80 percent of all women will contract at least one strain by the age of 50. However, in most cases a woman's body is able to fight the infection, whereby it often disappears without the woman being aware that she had the disease. The proposed drug, called Gardasil, which was developed by Merck & Company, protects against four strains of HPV which cause approximately 70 percent of cervical cancers and 90 percent of cervical warts.