Most students had never heard of the human papillomavirus a few months ago. This virus, otherwise known as HPV, has gotten much attention lately. Thanks to a plethora of commercials and controversial legislation, HPV has become the latest buzzword in the debate on premarital sex. Because HPV is a sexually transmitted disease, conservative legislators and parents have objected to requiring preteens to be immunized, citing that such a vaccination would promote premarital sex. But as with condoms, comprehensive sexual education, and the morning-after pill, an HPV vaccine will not cause promiscuity. It is time for conservatives to realize that ignorance is not bliss when it comes to sexual education, and a lack of information is putting millions of Americans at risk.
In the ongoing debate on sexual education, conservatives often argue that informing teens about the use of condoms and the available methods of birth control, while still teaching abstinence, encourages promiscuity. In their eyes, abstinence-only education (the teaching of abstinence outside of marriage as the expected standard and nothing else) is the right way to educate teens across the country. According to David Salyer of the AIDS Survival Project, in 1996 Congress authorized $50 million annually for states who teach abstinence-only education. This act, known as the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, required that all sexual education funding had to be used solely for the purpose of teaching abstinence. Therefore, there could be no discussion of STDs, homosexuality, bisexuality, AIDS or abortion. If teens raised questions about these issues, they were to be told that abstinence is the only viable option to avoid unwanted pregnancies or STDs. And, as for the homosexuality question, the U.S. government officially declared, "A mutually faithful, monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the expected standard of sexual activity." But does such a program really work when Salyer notes that half of American teens are sexually active by the time they finish high school, over three million get an STD every year, and four out of every ten girls under twenty becomes pregnant? America has the highest number of teen pregnancies and STDs in the industrialized world, and that will not change until education changes first.
All of these facts make a simple point. Sex does not happen just because teenagers feel educated about their options. Sex happens because teenagers have hormones, teenagers are curious, and because sex is their personal choice. Of course abstinence is the best way to avoid an unwanted pregnancy or an STD, but it is certainly not the only option. Not every teenager believes in waiting until marriage to have sex, and they should not be forced to endure the pain of an unwanted pregnancy or the risk of an STD just because the government thinks premarital sex should never happen. It does happen. And gays, lesbians and bisexuals should not be ostracized because of Christian beliefs in public schools. The health of millions of Americans is at stake here, and that is reason enough to check personal beliefs at the door.
Fear of HPV is certainly not stopping teenagers from having sex. According to the Chicago Tribune, HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the U.S., infecting about 20 million people. It is also responsible for over 70 percent of cases of cervical cancer, which will kill 3,700 women this year in the U.S. HPV is not a virus that should be ignored. So rarely do we get the chance to effectively eliminate a deadly cancer, and we should seize this opportunity to save lives. Virginia delegate Phillip A. Hamilton (R - Newport News), asupporter of the HPV vaccination, said, "This is not prevention for a sexually transmitted disease. This is prevention for cancer. And if a vaccine can eliminate even one case of that, I think it's a worthwhile initiative." There should be no controversy over a vaccine that helps prevent a cancer caused by a virus that millions of Americans do not even know they have.
As with any vaccination, parents may cite religious or medical reasons for not allowing their children to receive the immunization. I hope, however, that parents can see past the stigma of a sexually transmitted disease and see HPV for what it truly is. It is a virus that causes a deadly cancer. It is a virus that unnecessarily affects millions of lives. Beyond the hype, the controversy, and the shame, this is a vaccination that will save lives. And that is something I believe we can all stand behind.
Lindsay Huggins is a Cavalier Daily Viewpoint Writer. She is a second-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences.
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