Not Just 'the Christian Right' Opposed to Forced Vaccine

Feb. 6, 2007 — -- The press loves to simplify and dramatize public controversies involving religious conservatives, casting them as clear-cut battles between the ignorant and the enlightened, the superstitious and the rational, the moralistic and the tolerant.

It, therefore, comes as no surprise that "the Christian right" gets the blame for opposition to Friday's executive order by the Texas governor requiring the vaccination of schoolgirls against a sexually transmitted virus.

As The Associated Press reported, "Conservatives" worried that these vaccinations of children as young as 11 and 12 "would condone premarital sex." In truth, the sweeping, hasty decision by Republican Gov. Rick Perry (who personally identifies as a Christian conservative) raises far more complicated issues than attitudes toward teenaged (and preteen) sexuality, and deserves opposition from atheists as well as believers, libertarians and liberals as well as conservatives, and from all opponents of an intrusive, privacy-shattering nanny-state.

Seven months ago, the federal government approved Gardasil, a new vaccine against the human papilloma virus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States.

Research suggests that HPV may be responsible for up to 70 percent of the nation's cases of cervical cancer, leading to as many as 3,000 deaths each year. The new vaccine (heavily promoted by Merck, which stands to make up to $3 billion a year on the product) works best if administered to girls before they become sexually active.

The available information on Gardasil suggests that it's a good idea for girls to get vaccinated and confirms the argument that mass vaccination may save hundreds, perhaps even thousands of lives.

With my own two daughters, even though we encourage them to continue to avoid intercourse before marriage, we may also seek out the vaccine as a sensible protection. On this basis, the investment by the state of Texas in providing Gardasil (the three-shot regimen costs $360) at no charge seems justifiable, even though skeptics might argue that other health priorities deserve the investment first.

Michael Medved, best-selling author of "Right Turns" and "The Shadow Presidents," hosts a syndicated daily radio talk show focusing on the intersection of politics and pop culture. He blogs at http://michaelmedved.townhall.com/