|
|
,
Add to My Group(s)
Permalink
View Article Stats
Add to My Group(s)
View Article Stats
It's Not Just Religious Conservatives Who Oppose Mandatory HPV Vaccination
By Suzanne Nelson (about the author)
Become a Fan -- Page 4 of 4 page(s)
"Parents aren't necessarily going to do the right thing. They might not even ... they might space. They might not take the time to get this done. There's a lot of reasons this wouldn't be done. Shouldn't we just do it with the kids, get it out of the way, no one gets cervical cancer?"
If only it were that simple. His essential point -- that parents are too stupid or too lazy to figure out this issue for themselves and thus the government should step in -- highlights a consistent criticism conservatives have about liberals. So perhaps it's not surprising that conservative groups have argued that mandating the HPV vaccine isn't the government's place.
But looked at another way, ultimately this is about an intrusive government versus one that doesn't meddle in the affairs of women's bodies. That's a principle progressives usually fall all over themselves to support.
The protracted debate about whether the HPV vaccine will make adolescent kids more likely to have sex is largely irrelevant. If some parents decide that possibility is reason enough to forgo the shot, however, isn't such their right -- regardless how foolish others may think their reasoning?
Linda Klepacki of Focus on the Family replied to Kernan's remarks with a simple statement: "Parents have the right to be the decision-makers for their children, especially when it comes to medicine."
Indeed.
Become a Fan -- Page 4 of 4 page(s)
If only it were that simple. His essential point -- that parents are too stupid or too lazy to figure out this issue for themselves and thus the government should step in -- highlights a consistent criticism conservatives have about liberals. So perhaps it's not surprising that conservative groups have argued that mandating the HPV vaccine isn't the government's place.
But looked at another way, ultimately this is about an intrusive government versus one that doesn't meddle in the affairs of women's bodies. That's a principle progressives usually fall all over themselves to support.
The protracted debate about whether the HPV vaccine will make adolescent kids more likely to have sex is largely irrelevant. If some parents decide that possibility is reason enough to forgo the shot, however, isn't such their right -- regardless how foolish others may think their reasoning?
Linda Klepacki of Focus on the Family replied to Kernan's remarks with a simple statement: "Parents have the right to be the decision-makers for their children, especially when it comes to medicine."
Indeed.
Take action -- click here to contact your local newspaper or congress people:
Oppose Mandatory HPV Vaccination
Click here to see the most recent messages sent to congressional reps and local newspapers
www.honesthuman.com
Suzanne Nelson is a freelance journalist and writer living in New Orleans. She spent five years covering Congress for Roll Call Newspaper in Washington, D.C., and now focuses on subjects pertaining to (more...)
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
 Contact Author |
Contact Editor |
 View Authors' Articles |
Comments
The time limit for entering new comments on this article has expired.
This limit can be removed. Our paid membership program is designed to give you many benefits, such as removing this time limit. To learn more, please click here.
| No comments |