IS "VACCINE' AN INTRUSION?

In my “Vaccine” Blog, how could I possibly welcome “government intrusion” into our lives and actually allow our government to “force” vaccination onto our citizens – humor or actually a good discussion point?

I have been adamantly against government intrusion into our lives all my life. My views on this subject are definitely Libertarian and border on the anarchistic; so why allow our government to “intrude” by mandating “this” vaccine for young girls.

Number one, parental approval is built into the plan so no girl is being forced to have the vaccine against her parent’s will.

The way I read it, schools will need to have girls vaccinated before they can attend the school or have a form from the parents expressly stating that they do not want their child to be vaccinated.

Currently, schools demand proof of vaccination for the common types of childhood diseases like polio, measles, etc. These vaccines are standard practice in this country and have led to a complete or near eradication of previously very dangerous medical conditions.

To my knowledge, only certain radical religious groups who feel any form of human medical intervention is “against” their religious beliefs and leave their medical well being in the hands of their god do not vaccinate their children, but they also don’t send their kids to public schools either.

So if we accept the standard vaccination rules as good and beneficial, why not the cervical cancer vaccine.

Or the bigger question, why do I allow and support our government’s interference in our lives in some cases but not others?

Specifically, let us talk about health. Americans, despite living in the richest and most advanced nations, are actually very unhealthy. They are at a greater risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease than most other industrialized countries; all because of lifestyle and our government can’t do a damn thing about it except preach a healthier lifestyle; it’s a free country!

On the other hand, making sure that infants and children are protected from disease and illness through the use of the latest medical technologies (vaccines) is, I think, a governmental responsibility since it benefits the individual as well as society as a whole.

Some may say the cervical cancer vaccine is different. It does not protect against a childhood disease or illness, it actually protects against a “possible” infection in the girl’s later life and then only IF she has sex with a carrier of the specific virus that causes the disease.

Simply put, if a vaccine is available that will prevent a “possible” disease from happening in the future; why not give it. The fact that it prevents a “sexually transmitted disease” or STD seems to make a difference.

If we discovered a vaccine against HIV, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, etc. would we even hesitate to give it to our young? Would giving the vaccine somehow say something negative about the parents or would it be just plain good common medical sense since we have no control over the future behavior of our children even if we really think we do?

OR would it make our children into crazed sex addicts; fearing nothing from STD, they screw everything that moves at anytime and anywhere? I admit that this IS a commonly held belief.

I remember the time before HIV / AIDS. I don’t recall people screwing in the streets. Actually there was probably less sex between the unmarried then due to a healthy fear of pregnancy and a different social value system when it came to sex.

Unfortunately sometimes you have to force kids to take their medicine and parents to give the medicine.