Better late than never: MSM worried about Gardasil
Last January, I began reporting on the first vaccine to prevent an STD: Gardasil by Merck, to fend off HPV, the human papillomavirus.
Living in IL, I smelled a rat when bills began simultaneously popping up in state legislatures across the U.S. to mandate the 3-shot Gardasil regimen to all 11- and 12-year-old girls. I, along with several others, started blogging against the liberal and MSM tide, even getting a mention in the New York Times. Was the vaccine safe? Was it smart? Was there quid pro quo?
After TX Gov. Rick Perry went so far as to sign an executive order forcing the vaccine, it came to light that Merck had financial ties to the poke pushers.
Perry’s exec order was overturned, Merck called off its legislative whores, and pro-family proponents won the day, even while liberals and MSM grumbled at our ignorance.
Well MSM is grumbling no more. Our concerns about the safety of Gardasil were warranted. Reported Katie Couric at CBS News last night:
Also read CNN, ABC News, and U.S. News & World Report, to name a few.
Nothing in the New York Times, though.
[HT: American Papist]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
I got it at the age of 21 and I had no adverse effects.
Maybe it has to do with the age these girls receive it at that is the problem with their reaction to it.
Jill, I smell a rat too! What made me skeptical about this drug from the start was the strong marketing push for it on television. I’ve always felt it is smart to give a new drug or vaccine some time on the market to see the effects and response before I subject myself or my family to it. I know a ten-year old whose Mom had her take the Gardasil shots! Legislators who try to mandate these shots are doing so prematurely, IMO, and should be investigated.
Just yesterday while at a doctor’s office for a school physical my respected family doctor offered the shot to my daughter. I said thanks, but no thanks.
Janet, I agree, especially for younger girls. In the video, a lot of the girls who had the severe adverse effects were 12-14 years old. I think that’s a little young, especially for a new vaccine. I got it at 21 and did fine with it so it may be the age factor.
My girls got it. They’re fine.
I’m glad they made the report – but am saddened that the report did not expose that Guardasil does not prevent all types of HPV, and that the “shot” is actually 3 shots. Women still need follow-up pap smears and the shots need to be administered before sexual activity.
My daughter’s new pediatrician also offered it to us, but we politely said no. She is 14.
With the adverse effects and little protection, we are opting out…
When will Liberals get it? How much suffering must our society endure due to Liberal policies that diss God, diss morality and diss family values whether they be legalized abortion, gay marriage, prayer and God out of schools, etc., etc., etc.?
Young girls shouldn’t be having promiscuous sex that exposes them to STDs. The only true vaccination against STDs is morals, a healthy fear of God, and embracing marriage as the only framework is which to partake of God’s most beautiful gift to mankind.
In fact, God warns us all that all immoral sex outside of marriage is fraught with danger.
My girls were offered this vaccine in Canada in the province of Ontario through the CATHOLIC school system. Out of 33 girls in my 13 year old’s GR 8 class FIVE got the vaccine.
No one got the 2nd or 3rd shots.
I’m not sure what the vaccination rate is in Ontraio but I think it’s around 35% or so.
Joy you were wise. As you say, it only protects against 2 or 3 strains, and there is concern that other more benign strains may become dominant in the vaccinated population creating even more problems.
My daughter did not get the vaccine.
HisMan,
A woman I know got HPV from her HUSBAND. Many guys don’t even know they have HPV so there is no sure protection from it unless you marry a guy who is a virgin.
HisMan,
A woman I know got HPV from her HUSBAND. Many guys don’t even know they have HPV so there is no sure protection from it unless you marry a guy who is a virgin.
Posted by: Elizabeth (Gabriella’s Momma) at July 8, 2008 5:43 PM
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It’s that idea that fornicators deserve to die of disease mindset. Never mind that little girls are raped. They somehow deserve cancer as well.
Sally,
I don’t really think that is the case. I wouldn’t want my child paralyzed from getting a vaccine so putting the information out there is good so the parents can make an informed decision. As for me, I’ve never had a problem with vaccines so it did just fine for me. My daughter has never had a problem either with her vaccines. Although, if the vaccine is still around when she is a teenager, I think I would wait til she is in her late teens to get it because it seems to be the younger girls who are adversely affected by this vaccine. I also think that certain people’s immune systems maybe somewhat already flawed and that’s why they have bad reactions to vaccines. I don’t think anyone on this board wishes to see girls/women die from cervical cancer, but like other vaccines, it’s the parents choice to get their kid vaccinated or not.
“Young girls shouldn’t be having promiscuous sex that exposes them to STDs. The only true vaccination against STDs is morals, a healthy fear of God, and embracing marriage as the only framework is which to partake of God’s most beautiful gift to mankind.”
The vaccination is not just for “young girls” or women having promiscuous sex. They get vaccinated as young girls, but the sex, hopefully, comes later as young women. And it doesn’t have to be “promiscuous.” I really disagree that sex should only be within marriage. That’s fine for some. Others prefer a different approach.
The Texan governor made his executive order when MERCK, a company to which he had some financial ties, had a complete corner on the HPV vaccine market. Yes, there was money involved.
However, 18% of U.S. high school girls are infected with HPV. Vaccinating girls before they become high school girls just makes sense.
People ask “What message are we sending to our daughters?” The message is this:
Even if you have sex, you still don’t deserve to get cancer.
And for parents who don’t even want to send that message? Tell the girls that it’s a shot but don’t tell them what it’s for. How many eleven year-olds knew what HPV was before all that ruckus in the media? If any of them were holding off on sex for fear of an STD, it was AIDS, not HPV.
I really disagree that sex should only be within marriage.
That’s fine, but HisMan thinks it is what is best. I also think it is what is best, especially for young people, and for my child(ren) I will definitely promote that. I still support efforts to find cures for these STD’s though. People make mistakes and sometimes pay for them by getting STD’s, that doesn’t mean they should have to suffer the rest of their life with one because they made a mistake. Hopefully, they’ll be able to learn from the experience though and make better choices in the future.
I think it’s also important to note that this vaccine prevents FOUR types of HPV…there are about 90 strains of HPV, so I also think that’s an important fact people should be aware of before getting the vaccine. Just because you have the vaccine, doesn’t mean you can’t get ANY HPV.
Yes, it prevents only four strains of HPV, but two of those four strains cause over 70% of the cases of HPV-induced cervical cancer. It’s 7/10 protection, not 4/90 protection.
Even if you have sex, you still don’t deserve to get cancer.
While this is true, parents should also be realistic with their children about the risk of this disease.
Just because you smoke, doesn’t mean you deserve to get cancer, but we all know that smoking causes cancer, so to avoid that particular cancer, you don’t smoke.
Some people smoke and get cancer, that doesn’t mean they deserve it, but ACTIONS have CONSEQUENCES. I think THAT is the most important message to send our daughters.
We send that message about smoking, drunk-driving, binge drinking, drug use..why NOT sex?
Actually, your concerns had less to do with the safety of the medicine and more to do with the supposed moral implications. If you’re calling for honesty on the part of the drug manufacturer then at the very least you might want to try to be within ballpark range of honesty about your own motivations.
VIDEO: Margaret Sanger Interview (1957)
http://generationsforlife.org/2008/0708/sanger/#respond
Mike
Sally,
I don’t really think that is the case. I wouldn’t want my child paralyzed from getting a vaccine so putting the information out there is good so the parents can make an informed decision. As for me, I’ve never had a problem with vaccines so it did just fine for me. My daughter has never had a problem either with her vaccines. Although, if the vaccine is still around when she is a teenager, I think I would wait til she is in her late teens to get it because it seems to be the younger girls who are adversely affected by this vaccine. I also think that certain people’s immune systems maybe somewhat already flawed and that’s why they have bad reactions to vaccines. I don’t think anyone on this board wishes to see girls/women die from cervical cancer, but like other vaccines, it’s the parents choice to get their kid vaccinated or not.
Posted by: Elizabeth (Gabriella’s Momma) at July 8, 2008 6:00 PM
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There are risks with any vaccine. I feel it is the parents right to withhold any of them. I would hope that careful thought and consideration is put into the decision not to vaccinate. HM’s reasoning is expressed purely in punishment for sex terminology.
What happened to all the comments on this thread??
and the other threads too. I thought I was being censored, but there’s a bigger problem afoot.
I know…I think all the comments that have been left fairly recently have been deleted. There’s some craziness goin’ on!
All,
Some comments are accidentally being mark as Spam and unpublished, it’s happening to everybody…more to come..
And the thread below this, it says there are 8 comments. When I click to read, it looks like there are none!
Liz:
I’m dissappointed that you think sex outside of marriage is OK. I guess you don’t adhere to Biblical admonitions of morality? Are you just trying to justify your current life circumstance? I don’t know, I’m just asking a rhetorical question and you don’t have to answer it. Why not just try giving God’ way a chance and see what He does in your life?
However, let me repeat what I said: “The only true vaccination against STDs is morals, a healthy fear of God, and embracing marriage as the only framework is which to partake of God’s most beautiful gift to mankind.”
I am not minimizing what you expressed, just that morals applies not only to women, girls, and wives but also to men, boys and husbands.
Sally:
Why don’t you and all girls just get a vaccination against all of lifes risks in general and not just STD’s? What about the risk of falling off your couch, and choking on the mouth full of popcorn you were trying to gulp down while watching that Eduardo DVD? C’mon, no one is advocating that a girl or anyone else be faced with a life thretening illness because of a sexual encounter. My point is that God has prescribed certain modes of behavior that give us the best chance at having a great life than any person could think of. It’s our choice to believe Him or not.
Let’s face it, the only true insurance policy we have against eternal harm is a relationship with Jesus Christ. None of knows what tomorrow will bring.
For the vast majority of kids, the best vaccination against getting an STD is abstinence, faithfulness, and sex only in marriage. Embrace that truth or roll the dice.
HisMan,
Elizabeth was quoting Hal when she wrote “I really disagree that sex should only be within marriage.” She didn’t put it in quotes or italics or anything, so I can definitely understand the confusion, but yeah, she’s certainly AGAINST sex outside of marriage. God love ya, StudMan.
Thank you for mentioning BOYZ and men HisMan!! I have 3 sons and will be praying that they save themselves as well as their sister. I will pass on the Gardasil.
Pass as in no thank you! :)
Stud:
Thanks for correcting me.
Sorry Liz:
Just trying to look out for you.
Hal:
Sometime man I just don’t get ya. You’ve got two beautiful daughters and it’s like you’re setting them up for failure.
What I mean is that you let them get the vaccine because you think it will protect them. What if it turns out in 25 years from now that this vaccine exposes them to a greater risk?
This is the slipperly slope Hal of not believing in and trusting in God. A parent tries to do everything in their human power to protect their beloved children from harm; we buy cars with the highest crash ratings, we feed them good food, we monitor who they hang out with, we send them to good schools, we keep them away from bad influences, an infinitum.
No matter how hard we try Hal, the reality is that we can’t protect our kids from all the dangers in the physical and spiritual world. Only God can do that.
We do all this while ignoring the most important thing they could do for them…lead them to Jesus Christ.
You want to protect your daughters Hal? I pray this prayer over my kids often by substituting their names. Please read Psalm 91…..
1 Hal’s daughters who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is Hal’s refuge, Hal’s place of safety;
he is Hal’s God, and Hal trusts him.
3 For he will rescue Hal and his family from every trap and protect them from deadly disease.
4 He will cover Hal and his family with his feathers. He will shelter him with his wings. His faithful promises are Hal’s armor and protection.
5 Hal will not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Hal does not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at Hal’s side,
though ten thousand are dying around him, these evils will not touch Hal.
8 Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished.
9 If Hal makes the Lord his refuge, if Hal makes the Most High his shelter,
10 no evil will conquer Hal;
no plague will come near Hal’s home.
11 For he will order his angels to protect Hal wherever Hal and his family go.
12 They will hold Hal up with their hands
so Hal won
No problem, HisMan, it was an honest mistake.
I haven’t had sex since I got pregnant, and don’t plan on having any until I’m married. I KNOW that there are no certainties in this life, and I figure the best way to keep myself on track with what I have to do for my daughter and I is to not get mixed up in all of that.
Plus, it helps me weed out the losers from the keepers!
I am so proud of you Elizabeth!!! I know it can’t be easy but you are doing so great!!
One thing I was concerned with is that Merck is only assuring protection against the virus for only 5 years. They think it may protect for as long as 10 years, but no promises.
I am holding off for my 2 daughters who are 17. A friend is in the middle of the shot schedule for her 2 daughters. What would you do? They are 14 and 15.
The morality and theology aside, I just don’t like the idea of the government being able to mandate that I expose my kids to a vaccine with limited/short-term/shoddy testing of my kids’ age group, which (I predicted this would happen when it first came out and researched it too) is being shown to have severe and adverse reactions, all for the sake of some politician and his friends lining their pockets…if they ever offer that medicine to my daughter, I’ll tell them exactly where they can stick the needle.
x: Tell it like it is! :o)
A friend is in the middle of the shot schedule for her 2 daughters. What would you do? They are 14 and 15.
Hmm, well did they have any adverse effects the first time?
Cause if they didn’t, then the chances that the last 2 will have bad effects are slim.
Or are you talking morally here?
It’s really up to her and what she thinks is best for her kids, BUT she should make up her mind as to what she thinks is best because if you don’t get the other shots at the recommended times, they may just have to start the whole cycle of shots over again. At least that’s what they told me when I got mine.
It’s an unnecessary vaccine anyway. Cervical cancer mortality never was high to begin with, and cancer incidence is waaaay down in recent years (even before they came out with this new cash cow). This barely-tested remedy for an epidemic that didn’t exist to begin with is just a scam for a company leaking money from lawsuits because their other medicines killed people too.
Hence the mad push to get it included on the mandated immunization schedule: if it gets on there, the company becomes immune themselves from any possible litigation if kids start dying.
And for parents who don’t even want to send that message? Tell the girls that it’s a shot but don’t tell them what it’s for. How many eleven year-olds knew what HPV was before all that ruckus in the media? If any of them were holding off on sex for fear of an STD, it was AIDS, not HPV.
Posted by: DRF at July 8, 2008 6:09 PM
DRF, Honesty begets respect.
God Bless you Liz. You have great courage!
Sally:
Why don’t you and all girls just get a vaccination against all of lifes risks in general and not just STD’s? What about the risk of falling off your couch, and choking on the mouth full of popcorn you were trying to gulp down while watching that Eduardo DVD? C’mon, no one is advocating that a girl or anyone else be faced with a life thretening illness because of a sexual encounter. My point is that God has prescribed certain modes of behavior that give us the best chance at having a great life than any person could think of. It’s our choice to believe Him or not.
Let’s face it, the only true insurance policy we have against eternal harm is a relationship with Jesus Christ. None of knows what tomorrow will bring.
For the vast majority of kids, the best vaccination against getting an STD is abstinence, faithfulness, and sex only in marriage. Embrace that truth or roll the dice.
Posted by: HisMan at July 8, 2008 8:09 PM
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First of all, it is condescending and insulting to call a woman my age a girl. It is the equivalent of slapping me on my derriere.
Second, who is Eduardo? One of your favorite cartoon characters? (That would be my admonishment for your disrespect)
Having said that:
The surest way to avoid any kind of disease is living isolated in a sterile bubble. I wouldn’t call that living.
I do not believe in eternal harm HM. Dante’s Inferno is a work of fiction. What you seem to need to have a ‘great life’ is not the recipe for everyone. Not everyone needs to be threatened with eternal punishment to have a happy fulfilling life. The concept of intentionally suffering in life to earn a reward when dead is abhorrent to me. Positively Medieval.
Quite obviously, not even becoming a priest and taking vows of abstinence prevents sociopaths from acting upon their deviant sexual impulses and raping children. Unfortunately there is yet a vaccine for that. But there is one to prevent cervical cancer caused by HPV. Females cannot prevent sexual intercourse 100%. Nor should they be expected to for fear of punishment. Be it religious threats or disease.
You don’t wish to vaccinate your children against disease? Fine. Don’t. Just don’t try to tell me what to do for my children.
I think we should be looking at the perfectly reasonable, logical reasons not to trust this vaccine, as they exist and are quite plentiful, and not all of us believe in the various religions. Once again, a serious dialogue about lives in the balance which should have nothing to do with religous ideals about sex and morality is derailed by “The Good Book”.
I applaud your change for the better, HisMan. I’ve noticed it, and you seem like a better person for it. I do hope it stays, as you wear your beliefs so much better when not forcefully judging everyone. Don’t think it’s gone unnoticed and unappreciated. I really do want to love and get along with all of you, my fellows in the fight for unborn lives, but when some of you tend to be harsh and judgemental with me for my beliefs, it gets hard to do, and is off-putting to myself and others, and we need all the help we can get.
Yes, it prevents only four strains of HPV, but two of those four strains cause over 70% of the cases of HPV-induced cervical cancer. It’s 7/10 protection, not 4/90 protection.
Posted by: DRF at July 8, 2008 6:18 PM
This is the CURRENT situation. Who knows how the vaccination will affect how these viruses mutate over time. It may be that in 10 years time 13 HPV virus strains will cause some sort of pathology in women AND men.
BTW: this is the new thinking now – that we should be vaccinating men and young boys too.
lovethemboth – I would not be giving these shots to my daughters. Too many unknowns and too little proper testing and trials done to make them safe. This is a huge experiment on our young people.
I also thought the “vaccinate everyone against HPV right away” movement was a little hysterical.
Yo La Tango:
Actually, your concerns had less to do with the safety of the medicine and more to do with the supposed moral implications.
In this day and age the former, in such questions, is almost always tied to the neglect of the latter. IOW, the neglect of the implications obvious to the natural law assumes that some later man made prevention will, at least in part, take care of the dangers implied. As we see though, there is never a perfect solution in which people can place their total faith. And, as in the case of too much fear followed by too much faith in anti-biotics, the risked outcome becomes even more dangerous to humans.
KC,
I don’t know who you are, but I’m awfully glad you’re here.
KC,
Most of the STD “fear” is aimed at viruses like HIV and HPV and HSV, in which antibiotics are no help. But it’s becoming pretty clear how limited antibiotics are becoming because of the widespread resistance in otherwise normal infections, some even by last defense drugs. My first solution: stop giving them to the animals we eat.
HisMan: “No matter how hard we try Hal, the reality is that we can’t protect our kids from all the dangers in the physical and spiritual world. Only God can do that.”
Agree with the first part, not the second.
PIP:
Most of the STD “fear” is aimed at viruses like HIV and HPV and HSV, in which antibiotics are no help.
I was merely making a parallel example of how grabbing on to promised chemical solutions in any case seems often to result in more severe problems to deal with in the future.
PIP: “My first solution: stop giving them to the animals we eat.”
Agreed.
My pediatrician has also become very conservative in her prescribing of antibiotics, for which I’m grateful. Not every sniffle or swollen gland necessitates an antibiotic.
And I think the Gardasil push has been way over the top. I’m glad some light is being shed on possible risks. People need to know that before they decide on this vaccination.
Elizabeth, 10:12 PM, July 8th
God bless you! (and your little one!!) :)
It just seems like the attitude surrounding the rush of Gardasil to market is hey who cares, they are just women.
Many have complained that the FDA rushed this vaccine with fewer safety checks than other new vaccines.
Most importantly girls must not be denied entry to school when they choose not to take the shot since HPV is not spread through casual contact so they pose no health threat to their peers.
KC, understood
Kel, absolutely. Thankfully prescription of antibiotics is starting to become more conservative after all of this resistance has broken out.
So in adhearance to natural law then, none of your kids will be getting immunized from measles, Mumps, Rubella, Tetanus, polio, or any other malady. Wow. Sounds like an interesting childhood full of family bonding at the doctors office – or do you not believe in doctors either? Your kids are going to be sooo popular when the other kids find out that your kids exposed them to all these diseases. Fun fun Fun!
Yo,
Who are you talking to?
Yo La Tango,
It seems to me that you don’t quite understand what we mean by natural law, specifically the word “natural.” By natural, we do not mean avoiding the use of anything found as it is in nature. By natural, we mean using something in accordance with its nature. So for example, part of human nature is wellness. Hence, part of our duty as human beings is to promote wellness, which would include vaccinating against certain diseases. Now, if the vaccine is too risky or dangerous, it is not in one’s best interest to take said vaccine because of the harm it could cause. Is that the case with Gardasil? Possibly, but possibly not.
The point is that anyone who opposes Gardasil does not oppose it because it is not “natural,” they oppose it because of the possible harmfully side-effects or a moral concern that it may lead to promiscuity, whether that be justified or unjustified.
PIP:
Most of the STD “fear” is aimed at viruses like HIV and HPV and HSV, in which antibiotics are no help.
I was merely making a parallel example of how grabbing on to promised chemical solutions in any case seems often to result in more severe problems to deal with in the future.
Posted by: KC at July 9, 2008 12:52 PM
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When was the last case of small pox in this country and what do you see as the more severe problem caused by it’s prevention?
How has the prevention of Polio caused more severe problems?
Would you rather lose a child to a preventable disease because you believe that a future generation might have to deal with a more potent form of the disease?
I can understand the survival of the fittest concept but how would that equate to PL wishing to extend the lives of those not fit enough to live without chemical and mechanical intervention? Doesn’t such intervention make for a weaker future generation?
HisMan 8:09: What about the risk of falling off your couch, and choking on the mouth full of popcorn you were trying to gulp down while watching that Eduardo DVD?
Very funny, HisMan! I see you’ve been paying attention! :) I need to go out and buy that DVD!
Sally:1:08: Second, who is Eduardo?
(Eduardo Verastegui) The cutie-pie star of Bella. Jill has blogged about the movie.
Oh, I LOVED “Bella.” And Eduardo was amazing. The whole cast was, actually.
I had a feeling he was the one HisMan was talking about. I don’t know too many other Eduardos on DVD. :D LOL
And back to the Gardasil topic…I am not anti-vaccination. I feel that this is a little bit tricky, as we are talking about vaccinating for an STD here. If a parent wants their child to receive the vaccination, that’s their choice. However, the problem I have is when it’s suggested that this be MANDATED for children getting school physicals.
I do not believe this vaccine should be forced upon young girls. It should be an optional choice for families.
Measles, mumps and rubella are spread through casual contact/respiratory droplets. These older, more traditional vaccines are necessary. These illnesses can easily spread. Some years ago, a dozen unimmunized kids from a church daycare in Philadelphia died from mumps (joggling my memory here).
I declined a hepatitis A vaccine for my son. Hepatitis A is like a stomach flu, an inconvenience. Mortality rate is only 0.4%. There are just too many vaccines now.
NJ mom
Most importantly girls must not be denied entry to school when they choose not to take the shot since HPV is not spread through casual contact so they pose no health threat to their peers.
Posted by: hippie at July 9, 2008 3:28 PM
hippie is right there. the fact that they are trying to make it mandatory is wrong.
by wrong, I mean unjust.
about the age issue… the girls were 12-14? What about the dozens of vaccines our children receive before they’re age 5?! And they often get two or more shots at one time! I think we all need to step back and look at the issue of vaccines all together. And what about abstinence? Just because our girls are protected from 4 types of hpv (out of 90 or so) doesnt mean these girls wont get many many other PERMANANT diseases, including HIV, Herpes (I and II) and the 86 OTHER forms of HPV!! I agree with those who think this is sending a bad message to teenage girls, because IT IS sending a bad message to them!!!!