Catholic School Board decide not to vaccinate for cervical cancer on moral grounds

[guzzy]

I remember going to St Francis parties back in high school....there was always action to be had from those frisky catholic girls. Great times.

In all seriousness, this is a move I understand from the Catholic school board and they are providing the parents with the info so they can still get their girls vacinated. If parents are naive enough to believe their child won't have sex before marriage....please think again.

Hymens do not exist in high schools anymore. The internet has changed the world more than we want to admit. MOst kids coming out of high school now have had more threesomes than those of us in our 30's have even dreamed about. When idols of young girls are Brittany Spears and Paris Hilton, what should we expect from our youth.

A scary note, 83% of all women carry HPV. If you are a girl who has had unprotected sex with a man who has unprotected sex you probably have it. Many women go their entire lives with HPV and it doesn't effect them. I think this vaccine is a great thing and I hope it protects families from the hardships of HPV and cervical cancer.

[Kipper is King]

After further reflection, I'm starting to lean towards what many of you are saying- that this is about protection from a deadly disease, not possible morality choices.

Moral lessons can still be taught after the vaccine is given.

So, I am starting to think perhaps the Catholic school board made the wrong move here. But I still think the potential exists for a naive young girl to think the vaccine allows her to have a sex free-for-all without any worrying about STDs.

I think that if the vaccine is given, it needs to be given with a lesson that there are still risks associated with non-cautious sexual conduct.

[LChoy]

The reason this issue has been put to the schools is that schools already have an established vaccination program for things like meningitis and influenza. Health and the regions run these programs, and have the schools give out information and conduct a vaccination campaign in the gym or somethign for a week so they can reach the student population. A note will be sent home with the students with information of vaccines and sometimes an opt out form for parents to decide.
In this case, the Catholic School board has said that they will not be allowing Calgary Health region to include HPV vaccine into their vaccine program. Girls in this school will have to get their parents to take them to a clinic or family GP instead. The AB governement is working that out now to ensure that those that are not able to get the vaccine at those schools, can have their vaccine covered under their health insurance.

[photon]

Originally Posted by Kipper is King

So, I am starting to think perhaps the Catholic school board made the wrong move here. But I still think the potential exists for a naive young girl to think the vaccine allows her to have a sex free-for-all without any worrying about STDs.

At ten years old?

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by photon

At ten years old?

No kidding.

Do they even need to tell these girls the details of how the vaccine works and what virus it protects against? Or are they just going to say to the 10-year olds, "If you get this needle, it protects you from getting a type of cancer" and leave it at that?

When I was a kid and was vaccinated for small pox, etc., my parents and the doctor didn't explain to me exactly what the needle was for, only that I needed it for my health. Why is it any different in this case?

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by TanguayFan

umm, isn't this exactly what they're doing??

Conflicting reports on that.

Following Catholic trustees' decision not to join a vaccination program against the virus that leads to cervical cancer, parents who want their daughters immunized may be wondering, "What now?"

The answer, according to health officials, is wait and see -- or pay up.
Until the Alberta government devises a plan to administer the program to Catholic schoolgirls at no charge, the only option is to pay a family doctor for the Gardasil vaccine, which costs roughly $500 and is administered in three doses over six months.


http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/...0-60113e751c4e

[Kipper is King]

Originally Posted by photon

At ten years old?

Oops. I wasn't aware they recieved the vaccine that young.

Point made.

[Burninator]

Like most people I disagree whole heartedly with the decision of the Catholic School Board. The Catholic School Board is either being wilfully ignorant of teen sex rates or they are delusional.

Their argument of it being a moral decision is laughable. By not providing these vaccinations they are saying that they would rather have girls increase their chance of getting cancer because they broke an ancient Catholic rule. How is that moral? Get out of your ivory tower Catholic School Board. And parents get your kids out of The Catholic School.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by Kipper is King

So, I am starting to think perhaps the Catholic school board made the wrong move here. But I still think the potential exists for a naive young girl to think the vaccine allows her to have a sex free-for-all without any worrying about STDs.

Does your behaviour change when you get a flu shot? Do you still want to shake someones hand right after they sneezed or coughed into it? I know I wouldn't. Vaccinations are something that provide underlying protection. You forget you had it and your behaviour doesn't change, but the protection is still there.

I think that if the vaccine is given, it needs to be given with a lesson that there are still risks associated with non-cautious sexual conduct.

Agreed. And as far as I know the school still does that. Well I am assuming it does, but I went to public school.

[photon]

Originally Posted by Burninator

Conflicting reports on that.

Following Catholic trustees' decision not to join a vaccination program against the virus that leads to cervical cancer, parents who want their daughters immunized may be wondering, "What now?"

The answer, according to health officials, is wait and see -- or pay up.
Until the Alberta government devises a plan to administer the program to Catholic schoolgirls at no charge, the only option is to pay a family doctor for the Gardasil vaccine, which costs roughly $500 and is administered in three doses over six months.

Well this puts the the decision in a much different light.

One could say that having a different (free) option will result in almost as many vaccinations, having to pay $500 to do it will definitely result in fewer girls getting this.

Better dead than unpure I guess? (Yes I know that's hyperbole, it just makes me sad).

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by photon

Well this puts the the decision in a much different light.

One could say that having a different (free) option will result in almost as many vaccinations, having to pay $500 to do it will definitely result in fewer girls getting this.

Definitely. $500 could be a lot of money for some parents. But I would be surprised if the proper health authorities didn't give the vaccinations out for free in the near future. There are probably quite a few parents who still wish to give their girls the vaccination and they'll speak out.

[worth]

It should be left to the parents to decide whether or not their kids get any kind of vaccine. Just my opinion. When you start forcing vaccines on people, it gets a little sketchy for me.

[FFR]

Originally Posted by worth

It should be left to the parents to decide whether or not their kids get any kind of vaccine. Just my opinion. When you start forcing vaccines on people, it gets a little sketchy for me.

I don't think anyone is forcing anyone to get vaccines. IIRC, when I was in elementary school there were a number of 'school sponsered' vaccinations. My parents got a letter about it, and I do know that many students didn't participate for whatever reason. No one was forced to get the vaccine.

I don't think anyone would be forced to get this vaccine if it is offered either. But by not offering it, some students may not be able to gte vaccinated because their parents can't afford the $500 cost. I don't think many health plans cover it yet either.

[LChoy]

As I said in a previous post, Calgary Health was hoping to include the HPV vaccine into existing vaccination campaigns that are already offered at schools in Calgary. Parents will still get a letter with every vaccine with an opt out option. However, by refusing, there isn't another forum at the moment to make the vaccine available to those girls. We're working on something to cover those girls, but until then, the vaccine isn't covered normally under our health insurance, so it's a $500 price tag

[worth]

It was the same for me in school. So I don't have a problem with that. I don't really have a problem with the school offering or not offering vaccinations either. As long as the decision remains with the parent.

I jumped to conclusion with this article, but I had in my mind the recent Texas ordeal where the Governor ordered all girls to be vaccinated:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16948093/from/RS.4/

I don't want to see that happen here. Not for religious reasons of any sort, just for the fact that people should have the right to choose if they want a vaccine or not.

Offering the vaccine with an opt out = no problemo. Forcing the vaccine = big problemo.

[Nehkara]

Originally Posted by jonesy

I can't see the problem with this. If you want to vaccinate you daughter, go do it.
I have some daughters and I am really not sure whether to do it or not.
There are sometimes side effects with vaccinations, and unless I'm mistaken, this doesn't get ALL the hpv, so while decreasing chances of HPV, it does not eliminate them.
There is also the chance that anyone with this vaccination will feel immune to STD's and make it easier to give in to the urge to have sex. I don't think this can be understated, it is one less thing to worry about and therefore makes sex that much less dangerous.

This is ridiculous. You are saying that it is more important to allow teens to get cancer than risking that they possibly might not take STDs quite as seriously. Which I also think is flawed logic, HPV isn't the only STD and as long as you instill in your kids that they can still get AIDS, herpes, symphilis, chlamydia, etc, I doubt they will feel immune to STDs just because they are protected from getting cancer.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Originally Posted by photon

Well this puts the the decision in a much different light.

For me, for sure.

$500 is a long way from free. There had to be a better alternative for the school board.

[Nehkara]

You are correct that it doesn't protect against ALL HPV, just the types that cause 70% of all cervical cancer and 90% of all genital warts.

[worth]

aww c'mon, there's always room for genital warts.

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by habernac

so why can't women be priests? Or bishops? Etc etc etc.... only men can be in positions of power, why is that?

In Britian I believe Women can in fact become Priests.