Mandatory Vaccine?

The Georgia state legislature is currently discussing a propsal that would mimick what has been put in place in Texas recently. The proposed law would require that every girl entering the 6th grade be vaccinated with a new drug from Merck named Gardasil. It's being touted as a vaccine against cervical cancer. In truth, it's a vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) which is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that often times causes cervical cancer. Of course you have to read the fine print to learn that. The headline reads "FDA approves first vaccine for cervical cancer." The text of the article clarifies:

"It works by preventing infection by four strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease... responsible for about 70 percent of cervical cancer cases."

I'm very much against this proposed law for a number of reasons. The primary reason is that it's not the government's role to decide what's best for my child. Individuals may not want to have their children vaccinated for a number of reasons. I've heard it mentioned that some disagree for religious reasons. I've also heard a number of people question the safety and effectiveness of the drug.

I'm not sure I entirely understand the rationale behind the religious opposition. I guess it goes something along the lines of you shouldn't be having sex so why do you need a vaccine for an STD. I've also heard mentioned that by removing the consequences for a particular action it has the effect of encouraging the action. I guess the last part may be true enough but again, I think it's up to each individual to decide. That's why something like this shouldn't be mandatory.

The safety and effectiveness debate leaves some people bewildered. How on earth could you question something like this that's been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)? I guess it just goes to show how dependant some people have become on the government. For starters, this is an extremely new drug that was only approved by the FDA last June. Lots of drugs had to be around for years before the full impact of their side effects were recognized. Birth control pills from the 1970s leading to such extreme rates of breast cancer and the like leading to such a reduction in the dosage today and the increased rates of autism thought to be due in part to vaccines today immediately come to mind.

It's also somewhat concerning that Merck lobbied so heavily for this. I know lots of businesses lobby for lots of thigs and I'm not trying to single them out but at the same time, people want to feel safe in the choices that they make regarding their health. People don't want to be concerned that the drug they're taking may be a result of a campaign contribution that a drug company executive made to a particular campaign in order to speed the process of required vaccination. I'm not suggesting that this has happened but it's certainly a possibility. People want to feel like matters of their health is beyond that.

The bottom line of the issue is that people have all sorts of varied reasons to oppose such a policy. This only underscores the importance of individual choice. As long as the decisions I make in exercising my freedoms don't impact your freedoms then there's no cause for government intervention. This proposed law in Georgia don't pass that basic test.