HPV

I’m still in awe at how many parents are upset that Gov. Rick Perry wants all girls to get the HPV vaccination. For weeks, I have been trying to comprehend why on earth would you not want your child to get it?

Yes, I get the part where some parents believe it will give kids a “license” to have sex. But I just keep thinking, what if your child does wait to have sex when she is married? What if 10, or 20 years down the road she get the HPV strand that causes cervical cancer? What do you say to your child when she asks, “mom, how come you didn’t let me get that vaccine?” There’s no cure for cancer.

I don’t think getting an HPV vaccination is going to make a teen want to have sex. Teens are smart enough to know there are other, more commonly known STD’s. I don’t think a vaccination is going to be a deciding factor.

I feel lucky that I’m under the age of 26, so I got the vaccination. I knew if I got cancer 20 years from now, knowing there was a chance I could have prevented it, I couldn’t live with myself. Could you?