Texas Gov. Rick Perry issued an executive order earlier this month mandating that all girls… Texas Gov. Rick Perry issued an executive order earlier this month mandating that all girls must be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus before being permitted to enter sixth grade. Commonly called HPV, the virus is sexually transmitted and is directly linked to cervical cancer.

According to the National Cancer Institute “virtually all cases of cervical cancer are caused by persistent infection of HPV.” The sexually transmitted virus infects approximately 5.5 million Americans every year, as reported by the National Cervical Cancer Coalition. Of those infected, the National Cervical Cancer Coalition confirms that 14,000 women will develop cervical cancer each year, and more than 3,900 will die just in the United States.

The majority of those infected with HPV will not develop symptoms of the virus, and the body will fight it without the individual ever knowing. However, the link between HPV infection and the occurrence of cervical cancer later in life is irrefutable.

The executive order issued by Gov. Perry requires that female students receive the FDA approved vaccine Gardasil. According to the American Cancer Society, Gardasil “protects against the two HPV strains responsible for 70 percent of all cervical-cancer cases.” In addition, the American Cancer Society says that the vaccination is most successful in preventing HPV infection and possible cervical cancer development if it is administered to “girls 11 and 12 years old and for catch-up for teenaged girls 13 to 18 years old.”

This new addition to the required immunization for school children has obviously created a controversy. Traditional immunizations in this country have focused on illnesses such as chicken pox or measles that are spread easily in a group of children; the HPV vaccination is obviously different. Conservatives and other opponents are arguing that the vaccination will encourage young girls to engage in premarital sex and other risky behaviors. In addition, they feel that requiring the vaccination for a sexually transmitted disease does not fall within the regulatory bounds of the state government.

I understand that vaccinating young girls for a virus that they may not come into contact with for years – or ever – may seem preemptive. However, science has shown that this vaccination is the most effective in preventing HPV and, in turn, cervical cancer when it is administered to adolescent girls. The benefits of the Gardasil vaccination and the statewide mandate far outweigh the concerns.

Teenagers are going to have sex, and they are going to wear promiscuous clothes to school and have parties when they are home alone. It seems ridiculous to think that we have a way to prevent cervical cancer and are not going to do it just because we don’t want to vaccinate girls in sixth grade.

Gov. Perry commented, “Providing the HPV vaccine doesn’t promote sexual promiscuity anymore than providing the Hepatitis B vaccine promotes drug use,” he said. “If the medical community developed a vaccine for lung cancer, would the same critics oppose it claiming it would encourage smoking?”

In addition, he noted that the Texas law already in place that allows parents to opt out of vaccination will also apply to the HPV vaccination. Parents will not be forced to have their daughters vaccinated – just strongly encouraged.

I can only hope that with the vaccination, someone will explain to these girls that the vaccine will not protect against all types of sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy. It must be made very clear that the vaccination is not a free pass for sexual activity, but rather is an insurance policy for later life.

In 1955, Jonas Salk invented the first ever polio vaccination. This vaccination was responsible for the complete eradication of polio in the United States. Does Gardasil offer that possibility for cervical cancer? We won’t know the answer for many years, but I really think that it’s worth taking a chance to find a way to prevent cancer.

History has shown us that modern medicine offers the ability to make life easier for future generations. Scientists spend so much time and money trying to find a cure for cancer, and finally they’ve found one, so why are we letting social stigma hold us back?

Want your future daughters to have this vaccine? E-mail Kimberly at [email protected].