……

I’m not sure that vaccinations and ear piercing are quite at the same level though. Can a child really make the choice to be vaccinated? I’m not so sure.

To be very clear, the world view you are hearing is not my world view. Whatever my views on the HPV vaccine, I think Governor Perry is going about this the wrong way. IF such a vaccination program is enacted, it should at least be debated in the state house; not by executive order.

http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/23/the-case-against-forced-vaccination/

Even with “forced” vaccinations, most states have opt out provisions (though there is the slippery slope that such provisions could be eliminated). With education, hopefully most parents will do the right thing by thier children (though its still a little disturbing that a child could pay the price because of a parent’s bad choice).

That’s a good question Adam. For adults the answer is obvious: the individual does. But what about minors? Do you believe a minor should have the right to be vaccinated against the parent’s wishes? What if the child is not old enough to make an informed choice? Does the parents now have ownership of thier children’s bodies until adulthood?

How can any ’side effects’ be worse than cancer?

As Brad pointed out, with the smallpox vaccine, the side effects are pretty bad. Statistically significant numbers of people die from the side effects of that vaccine. To be blunt, you are using emotions to twist the debate away from an appropriate focus: What power should the government have over our bodies?

Aimee:

Just like the other vaccines, you can’t be forced to vaccinate your kids, whatever it may be if someone is that opposed to it.

Have you ever tried to register your child for a public school without the approved vaccination series? Given the near virtual monopoly on education of children that our government now has, you are, de facto, if not de jure, required to vaccinate your children. Your point is factually correct but in reality incorrect. In all but the most technical legal sense the government has mandated what we can do with our bodies in regard to vaccination, regardless of our personal wishes. Power is power, regardless of laws.

So, back to the fundamental question.

Who owns my body and may decide the disposition of it?

My point about side effects is out of ignorance, that I haven’t studied this vaccine. I know that the smallpox vaccine can have some pretty nasty side effects, which is one of the reasons we don’t continue to use it. I don’t know enough about the HPV vaccine, but it’s probably not severe.

But they are coming pretty close to forcing you to vaccinate your kids. The stories I’ve seen is that if you don’t vaccinate your daughter, she can’t go to public school. That’s pretty close to force.

None of us are objecting to it. We aren’t objecting to educating people about it. We’re not objecting to people getting the vaccine. In fact, if I had a daughter, I would most certainly choose for her to get vaccinated (assuming, of course, that I got a look to make sure there weren’t worse side effects than the vaccine itself).

We’re just objecting to making it mandatory.

I think that educating parents about the reasons why their daughters should be vaccinated would be a much better alternative than forcing them to vaccinate. When my daughter reaches that age, I will have her vaccinated regardless of if it is mandatory or not. I think most parents will if they understand the risks.

The fact that HPV has reached national consciousness is a new development. HPV has only been on my radar screen for less than a year and I am sure there are more people who need to become aware.