Should the HPV vaccine be mandatory?

[DCal430]

What is your thought on making the HPV vaccine mandatory. Should it be mandatory for both boys and girls, or just for girls.

Some facts: Each year around 12,800 women develope cervical cancer in the U.S from the HPV virus, and around 5,600 men will develope oral cancer from the HPV virus, over 2,000 women a year will develope oral cancer from the HPV in the U.S. There is growing evidence that HPV can be spread through kissing alone, so kissing someone with an oral HPV infection puts you at risk for oral cancer.

 

[Doppel]

no

There is growing evidence that HPV can be spread through kissing alone

Either it can be or can't be; get back to me when we know, then could revisit.

In fact very few people die from this when you look at the total number who can contract it and it's easily influenced by behavior.

 

[Moonbeam]

Does the state have the right to confine Typhoid Marry? Does it have the right to quarantine? Can students be kept from school if not vaccinated? Do the rights of the many outweigh the rights of the few?

 

[Powermoloch]

It's should be a choice until we're seeing children and the elderly dropping off like flies due to the effects of HPV.

 

[gevorg]

No vaccine should be mandatory.

 

[Craig234]

Here are the choices:

1. Mandatory no opt out
2. Mandatory with opt out
3. Opt in
4. No vaccinations provided by the government
5. Ban the vaccine

I say option 2. That's a fairly radical 'conservative' position for parents' rights.

A good case could be made for option 1, based on the strong science.

 

[Rainsford]

No vaccine should be mandatory.

It should when your choice can end up killing someone else. For example, all the people out there who think Jenny McCarthy is a doctor and don't get their kids vaccinated increase the risk that kids too young for the vaccines could get caught up in some totally unnecessary epidemic. I think vaccines that cover those cases should definitely be mandatory.

Even in other cases, I'm kind of on the fence. It's "your" choice, but you aren't the one affected...it's your kid who wasn't given the choice at all. And given that for most vaccines, the benefits would seem to greatly outweigh the downsides, I question the wisdom of a parent who doesn't get their kid vaccinated.

 

[davmat787]

It should when your choice can end up killing someone else. For example, all the people out there who think Jenny McCarthy is a doctor and don't get their kids vaccinated increase the risk that kids too young for the vaccines could get caught up in some totally unnecessary epidemic. I think vaccines that cover those cases should definitely be mandatory.

Even in other cases, I'm kind of on the fence. It's "your" choice, but you aren't the one affected...it's your kid who wasn't given the choice at all. And given that for most vaccines, the benefits would seem to greatly outweigh the downsides, I question the wisdom of a parent who doesn't get their kid vaccinated.

What do you mean by mandatory? Is there a carrot or a stick? Let's say a vaccine is made mandatory, but a parent refuses to have their child vaccinated. Should the kids be taken by force and injected with the vaccine? Or not be allowed to attend school? It is easy to say make it mandatory for the greater good, but what about the end scenarios?

 

[drebo]

The only vaccines that should be mandatory should be vaccines for infectious, contagious, communicable diseases. HPV is not. It may be a contributing factor in some people for developing some types of cancer, sure, but it is not in the same vein as small pox or rhubella or other manditory vaccines.

It should be opt-in only.

 

[CrackRabbit]

nope.

 

[Craig234]

I'm wondering sometimes if the US should just split into two countries, one for the left and one for the right, because the differences seem so absurdly large.

If technology allowed, separate planets seems more appropriate.

What do we agree on? Sky is blue?

We can't agree on economic fundamental issues, the role of government, saving lives, safety nets, vaccines, war policy, taxes, free speech, capital punishment, and so on.

This system of pretty much never changing opinions of anyone, money controlling too much, trying to shift a few ignorant 'centrists' to break the tie, is a mess.

 

[SparkyJJO]

No vaccine should be mandatory.

This.

I have no problem with most of them out there, but some are very iffy. But making them mandatory is definitely a no.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

I'm wondering sometimes if the US should just split into two countries, one for the left and one for the right, because the differences seem so absurdly large.

If technology allowed, separate planets seems more appropriate.

What do we agree on? Sky is blue?

We can't agree on economic fundamental issues, the role of government, saving lives, safety nets, vaccines, war policy, taxes, free speech, capital punishment, and so on.

This system of pretty much never changing opinions of anyone, money controlling too much, trying to shift a few ignorant 'centrists' to break the tie, is a mess.

I'll start building your rocket right away!

 

[Craig234]

I'll start building your rocket right away!

The sane side was here first, you can go turn a rock into government-free utopia.

 

[ShawnD1]

Let's say a vaccine is made mandatory, but a parent refuses to have their child vaccinated. Should the kids be taken by force and injected with the vaccine? Or not be allowed to attend school? It is easy to say make it mandatory for the greater good, but what about the end scenarios?

Not being allowed in school would be a good start.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herd_immunity

Herd immunity (or community immunity) describes a form of immunity that occurs when the vaccination of a significant portion of a population (or herd) provides a measure of protection for individuals who have not developed immunity.[1] Herd immunity theory proposes that, in contagious diseases that are transmitted from individual to individual, chains of infection are likely to be disrupted when large numbers of a population are immune or less susceptible to the disease. The greater the proportion of individuals who are resistant, the smaller the probability that a susceptible individual will come into contact with an infectious individual.[2]

 

[Kadarin]

Should be opt-in, IMO. However, people who feel that this vaccine should not be distributed because it might make girls more promiscuous should be shot in the face.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

The sane side was here first, you can go turn a rock into government-free utopia.

Ahahaha... You really have no sense of humor, do you? Did you lose it along the way or is it some kind of genetic mutation that only applies to libs?



As for the OP... Put it on the same list of vaccines as measels, polio, etc that are required to attend school.

 

[Double Trouble]

It should be up to the parents to decide what treatment their kids get. It should be an opt-in IMO. I'd certainly opt in for my children, but I simply don't believe in the state forcing people to do things unless there's a very very strong reason for it.

 

[randomrogue]

I find it amazing that some people would be anti-vaccine.

With that said there are some very interesting historical stories regarding this. The mandatory vaccination for small pox during an epidemic in, I think, New York was pretty violent. However what was happening is that idiotic families weren't vaccinating and children were dying from the disease. I think the authorities felt it was better to force the issue rather than let children die simply because they had dumb parents.

 

[randomrogue]

What do you mean by mandatory? Is there a carrot or a stick? Let's say a vaccine is made mandatory, but a parent refuses to have their child vaccinated. Should the kids be taken by force and injected with the vaccine? Or not be allowed to attend school? It is easy to say make it mandatory for the greater good, but what about the end scenarios?

Financial incentives and penalties. Whether you want to go as far as we have before where you storm buildings and take children away from their screaming mothers to get vaccinated probably depends on the disease. HPV is not one of them imo.

Say it was aids though. There is a vaccine and some idiots refuse to get it. In that case I would say force it.

 

[MikeyMouse]

America is a fascinating place.

You guys realise that a good part of the rest of the developed world has had HPV vaccine programes for 3-4 years? Why is such a big deal being made out of it?

I cant say for other countries, but here it's included in the immunisation schedule and we just bring a form home (from school) that our parents sign.. Pretty unheard of for anyone to refuse it, it's just business as usual.

HPV related cervical cancer is depressingly common.. Who wouldn't want to reduce their risks?

 

[classy]

No vaccine should be mandatory.

What? Without question many vaccines should be mandatory. I am not so sure about this one. Me and my wife have been kicking around the idea of having our little one get it.

 

[Rainsford]

What do you mean by mandatory? Is there a carrot or a stick? Let's say a vaccine is made mandatory, but a parent refuses to have their child vaccinated. Should the kids be taken by force and injected with the vaccine? Or not be allowed to attend school? It is easy to say make it mandatory for the greater good, but what about the end scenarios?

Heh, it's not like I was dodging the issue as you suggest...I just don't think enforcement is the sticking point here. I'd be OK with trying various levels of enforcement and seeing how they worked out. At the very least I'd support not allowing kids in school who aren't vaccinated against contagious diseases. To make it easier, the government could subsidize the cost of the mandatory vaccines.

 

[MotF Bane]

The sane side was here first, you can go turn a rock into government-free utopia.

Humanity started without government, so, away with you!

 

[Rainsford]

America is a fascinating place.

You guys realise that a good part of the rest of the developed world has had HPV vaccine programes for 3-4 years? Why is such a big deal being made out of it?

I cant say for other countries, but here it's included in the immunisation schedule and we just bring a form home (from school) that our parents sign.. Pretty unheard of for anyone to refuse it, it's just business as usual.

HPV related cervical cancer is depressingly common.. Who wouldn't want to reduce their risks?

Honestly, I think it's because it's an STD and the US is pretty backward compared to much of the rest of the developed world when it comes to anything sex related.

I also think there's a pointless rebellion factor here too. Americans in general are much more willing to fight the government just to fight the government than most other places.