From my mother-in-law, about the new HPV vaccine and the attempt by drug companies to get it mandated in various lawmaking bodies throughout the USA.
I'm so totally against mandated vaccines. I mean, I think vaccines help some people. I think that, if there is an epidemic sweeping our nation, vaccines might be good. But there are soooo many reasons why it pays to examine the pros and cons of vaccination, and to not just take what drug companies (or even the FDA) says as gospel truth.
Especially for small children, or in developing children, these decisions have potentially ong lasting effects, possibly adverse ones, and so I want to be able to decide (prayerfully, after much research) whether or not my child receives a certain vaccine.
This mandate is just wrong. I am so glad that it got defeated in Committee in Utah.
There may be some girls who would benefit from this vaccine. This virus, HPV, has been correlated with 70% of cervical cancers. It is a sexually-transmitted virus, and becuase so many girls are sexually active at continually younger ages, it may prove a benefit. But why mandate the vaccine? Why not mandate a yearly pap smear, which has been shown to be extremely effective in the diagnosis of these cancers at an early enough stage.
As the side effects have not been properly studied (when do we learn), I would hesitate, though-- even if my daughter were fully active at a young age (which I hope won't be the case).
I hope I still have the power to hesitate. These things should never belong in the hands of government. Lobbying should never affect my own ability/capability of parenting my child, of making decisions that could potentially harm them permanently.
I don't think that makes me ignorant, or nutty, or even strangely militant. I think that more and more parents are becoming cautious about vaccines, and, well...
this is a good thing.
I think its a very beneficial vaccine, but I'm weary of a govt mandate.
ReplyDeleteI don't like the mandate either. I recently learned that the Chicken pox vaccine is not good at all. Those who take it run a greater risk of getting risk of having a much greater case of chicken pox when the vaccine wears off. Shingles and strep throat are also related to the chicken pox virus. As I understand it, our bodies doen't build immunity to the virus and when you get it it is worse than ever. People who get shingles will get it stronger because they don't have enough anitbodies. Texas just mandated the new vaccine for young girls and there is a lot of flack over it. Govenor Perry hasn't budged over it but he might make it where some girls can opt out of it....
ReplyDeleteI went today with my daughter to the clinic for a DPT vaccine for my 5 yrs old grandson, the school said he HAD to have it to stay in school. I think some vaccines have been good, like the polio vaccine and the MMR, but I am leary of others.