Gov. Perry was right on HPV vacine for girls

Houston Chronicle Editorial:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry was right. Members of the Texas Legislature who last year shot down his plan to require that schoolgirls be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus were shortsighted. The evidence for this is a shocking statistic: One in four American girls and young women are infected with at least one of four common sexually transmitted diseases, including the cancer-causing HPV.

This jaw-dropping conclusion was the finding of a recent federal study into infection rates of sexually transmitted diseases among girls aged 14 to 19 who participated in a health survey conducted in 2003-04. The teens were tested for HPV, chlamydia, trichomoniasis and genital herpes.

Researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 18 percent of the young women were infected with human papillomavirus, which can cause cervical cancer. Another 4 percent carried chlamydia, which can lead to infertility. Another 2.5 percent of the young women were found to have trichomoniasis, and 2 percent had genital herpes.

An astonishing 50 percent of black teens studied were infected with at least one STD. The figure for white teenagers — 20 percent — was also high.

The inescapable conclusion is that teens need more help in avoiding the serious consequences of having sex before they are ready and without adequate protection.

Last year, Gov. Perry called on Texas to mandate that sixth-grade girls receive the only vaccine approved to prevent HPV as a means to cut their risk of getting deadly cervical cancer. The outcry from Texans to Perry's executive order was as ferocious as lawmakers' speed in shooting it down.

Some parents expressed fear that the HPV vaccine would encourage young girls to have sex. The results of the CDC study show conclusively that no encouragement is needed. Lawmakers should look again at requiring the vaccine before girls become sexually active. It would be a sensible means of improving public health.

...

HPV cancer can be eliminated if all girls receive the vaccine. This makes as much sense to me as the Polio vaccine. It is much less costly than treating the disease. There are myriad bad consequences when young people engage in promiscuous sex. The rate of STD's among young black girls is absolutely appalling. But, that is no reason not to administer this vaccine.

Last year when I supported this I got comments from other conservatives who disagreed with me. I still think it is a huge mistake for children to be having sex and we need to find ways to persuade them not to, but permitting them to contract horrible diseases is obviously not enough of a deterrent. We should prevent the disease and explain the importance of being responsible reproductive activity.

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