Assembly Bill A-3920, introduced before the Assembly on Jan. 18, requires distributing information about HPV to parents and guardians of seventh- to 12th-graders, vaccinating girls in grades seven to 12, and establishing a public awareness campaign.
In an editorial dated Feb. 22 in the Tri-Town News (“Vaccine a Question of Health, Not Morality), this paper stated that “Lawmakers should decide solely on its merits for protecting the public health. Instead, the issue seems to have been partially obscured by some flimsy arguments about parents’ rights … The idea of a school making health-related demands on its students is nothing new. Athletes are routinely required to pass physicals to participate in sports. Many other vaccines, such as those for measles and mumps, are required for students, but an uproar is rarely, if ever, heard about these requirements.”
Measles, mumps and other illnesses for which we vaccinate school-age children are not sexually transmitted diseases as is HPV, but rather are airborne or communicable through casual contact. That’s why “an uproar is rarely, if ever, heard about these requirements.”
The editorial also states that “the issue seems to have been partially obscured by some flimsy arguments about parents’ rights.” This statement implies that the state of New Jersey knows better than parents about matters that are not in the same league of public health concerns as measles and mumps. But that argument aside, and knowing the state of New Jersey’s track record in managing all other affairs over which it has legitimate jurisdiction, do you really think it wise to let the state decide the future health of our daughters?
If this should indeed “remain a debate about science and public health, not morality,” then let’s consider the fact that Merck is the sole distributor of this vaccine, and stands to make billions of dollars from this. Let’s think about the future health of these girls for a moment. There has been no long-term study as to the possible side effects of the vaccine – which include nausea, headaches and fevers – and the few short-term studies were on college-age women, not the young girls the legislation is targeting.
A vaccine that prevents any type of cancer is a long-sought-for miracle. This vaccine may yet prove to be safe, but requiring it after so little research sets a dangerous precedent. It’s a game of Russian roulette that this parent does not want to be forced to play.
Greg Drew
Jackson