Ok...here's my two cents worth.

I had HPV. I developed cervical dysplasia, one stage before full blown cervical cancer. I had a total hysterectomy when I was 34, to save my life so that I could be around for my kids when they grew up. I was lucky, because they found it before it was too late, before it was full blown cancer, before it had spread.

If they had a vaccine when I was younger, I would have had it. As it stands now, I am having my daughter vaccinated for it when she is old enough. And if, somewhere down the line, they develop a vaccine for males, my son will be vaccinated as well. I do not want my children to have to go through that fear of losing their own lives over something they can prevent.

Now, this is not to say that I won't teach them about other STDs, that I won't encourage them to use safe sex methods to prevent STDs. I won't let the thought of "Oh, my kid's vaccinated, she's safe" enter into the picture, because I am not a fool. Nothing is ever fool-proof, nothing is ever guaranteed. But by all that is holy, I will do what is in my power to keep my kids safer than they would otherwise be.

And as for mandatory vaccination - it is mandatory for all school-aged children to be completely immunized before entering school, barring exceptions of allergy to the vaccine or religious grounds. We don't bat an eyelash at that...what makes this any different? Is it because of the fact it falls under the purview of sex that we raise a fuss?

Perhaps I'm choosing to ignore the government stepping in on this issue, and maybe that's a little naive of me. But...I would rather look at the overall issue - the issue of health, rather than the idea of Big Brother watching over me.

In my humble opinion, I think it's silly to reject the vaccine out of hand, just because someone else says it should be done. Maybe it's because of my experience that I have this opinion. But, as I said, it's just my two cents worth.

....end rant....