Feminism Is For Everyone

Sep 16, 2008,11:58 AM

New Citizenship Requirements: Gardasil

Ok, so to be able to become a citizen you have pass a test, meet certain requirements, and have certain vaccinations, like Hepatitis A. Now, you also have to be vaccinated for HPV (if appropriate- i.e. women/girls of a certain age). While this is a step in the right direction for cancer prevention, it poses yet another barrier for citizenship. The Gardasil vaccine for HPV can cost up to $300! It is interesting that this was passed during the Bush administration considering that some conservatives oppose vaccinating their own daughters!

(some people, mainly conservatives, do not want to vaccinate their daughters b/c they raise their children to not have sex until marriage, hence there would be no need to be vaccinated since the HPV that causes ovarian cancer is transmitted sexually. However, even if people wait until marriage to have sexual intercourse, they may not be safe- you can get HPV through skin-to-skin contact, so if you are "fooling around" w/ some else you could still get HPV, even if you or your partner are using a condom.)