It's outrageous to deny girls the cervical cancer vaccine on spurious religious grounds
A textbook moral panic is unsupported by facts.
By Helen Lewis Published 18 July 2012 12:23
Like most British children, my school days were peppered with occasional visits from a nurse with mysterious jabs known as "vaccinations". We queued up outside a special room, then trooped in one by one for a shot in the arm, before being rewarded with some sort of sweet.
I didn't pay much attention to the contents of the syringe being injected into my arm. Why would I? The school and my parents, the twin stars of authority in my world, decreed it.
At no point did I think: "TB jab, you say? Whoopee! Now I can go get consumptive people to cough in my face, for kicks!"
That's why I've always been sceptical by the arguments advanced by religious pressure groups (and given plenty of coverage in the papers such as the Mail and Express) that the cervical cancer vaccine should not be given to schoolgirls, because "it will encourage promiscuity".
This is the kind of thing that campaigners say:
"There is already evidence that the vaccine is giving some girls a false sense of security and leading them to think that because they have been vaccinated they are protected against the worst effects of sexual promiscuity and can therefore engage in casual sex without consequence."
That quote comes from Norman Wells, "of the pressure group Family and Youth Concern". Mr Wells inexplicably fails to cite the evidence that he has, and the paper involved inexplicably fails to ask him for it. It also doesn't give you much of a clue about his background, other than that delightfully vague "pressure group". (A look at the Family Education Trust website gives a better idea; it was formed as a reaction to the "permissive society".)
Mr Wells is also apparently unaware of a little thing we ladies like to call "pregnancy", which was definitely loomed far larger in the worries of my sexually active classmates than the possibility of some disease decades in the future.
Anyway, if you're interested, the story of the cervical cancer vaccine (actually a vaccine against human papilloma virus, which causes the majority of all cases of the cancer) is a textbook case of moral panic. What should have been an amazing scientific breakthrough, welcomed by all - we can cure a disease which killed thousands of women, with a single injection! - turned into a lot of people's opportunity to complain about the 1960s and worry about young girls having sex (and that's always how it was framed, despite the fact that they presumably weren't ALL having sex with each other).
There were even some valiant attempts to get the Ole MMR Show back on the road, with articles about girls who'd suffered mysterious illnesses soon after they'd had their jabs. (Here's a fantastic example of "penultimate paragraph syndrome" - an entire science story dismissed right at the bottom by the folks with the evidence.) And, of course, we can't just wait until the girls are old enough to decide for themselves, because once you're infected with HPV, there's no going back.
The worst thing is that four years after the vaccine was approved for use and rolled out, the legacy of all the "promiscuity" scare-mongering continues. An investigation by GP magazine found that at least 24 schools do not offer the vaccine for "religious reasons", and many of these did not inform parents and pupils that it was available elsewhere. (There may be more than 24 schools who do this, as only 83 of 152 of England's primary care trust areas were surveyed.)
Press Association reported this news with the following hilarious paragraph:
Some schools in England have opted out of the HPV vaccination programme because their pupils follow strict Christian principles and do not have sex outside marriage.
Yeah, totally. I went to a convent school, where we had absolutely minimal sex education and one of our teachers told us Christians believed "every period was God's tear for a lost opportunity". Despite being immersed in a warm bath of Catholicism, several girls I knew got pregnant. (I'm guessing that, what, 50 per cent of those girls had probably had sex? Maybe more. Maybe.)
This situation would be funny, if it weren't so sad. Religious pressure groups decided, on evidence which is mysteriously missing in all news reports, that the cervical cancer vaccine encourages promiscuity. Aided by editors looking for another excuse to angsty over teenage girls' sex lives, they managed to create an illusion of controversy over this jab. And now, the circle is complete as religious schools deny their pupils a potentially lifesaving intervention, not just on religious grounds - but spurious religious grounds.
Oh, and in case you're wondering, 957 women died of cervical cancer in the last year for which figures are available.
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49 comments
Vaccine for cervical cancer? Is cancer a virus? I thought it was a disease. I thought there wasn't a cure for cancer. Are they now saying there is one? If that is so, then why have a vaccine? It doesn't make sense. I'm not sure if any vaccine for kids makes sense, hospitals are much better today than fifty years ago, at keeping adults and children alive from viruses. The majority of us don't get cancer, unless it's being predicted that there will be a massive increase, and how could they possibly know that a bigger percentage of women are going to contract cervical cancer than previously? We need transparency of medical statistics, pharmaceutical reasonings and government involvement with both.
You are wrong on so many levels. Some cancers are proven to be caused by a virus. Being caused by a virus does not make it a non-disease. What is this garbage about why have a vaccine if there is a cure? The vaccine prevents some forms of cervical cancer, what part of that simple statement are you going to pretend not to understand? Hospitals are better now so we shouldn't try to prevent cancer? The majority of us don't get cancer? No, sorry, you are wrong. If you live long enough you will get cancer.
There is obviously a transparency issue with your brain. The real world goes right through you and nothing sticks. Wake up.
@ Helen Lewis,
Great article, I really enjoyed reading it. Also, well done for doing the unthinkable - responding the criticisms in the comments section.
You might enjoy Potholer54's video on 'junk science'/objective scaremongering on vaccinations:
/watch?v=P0ZZTjChW4o
Keep up the great work.
@ Random Person
Are you mad as well as random? Actually thanking this "reporter" who hasn't stated all the facts before recommending it? In ten years we'll see who's right when young women can't get pregnant or end up chronically sick and needing lifetime prescriptions. It's what they're doing to make money out of people and to cut the population down. Why are there more ADHD and austistic kids in USU at much higher percentage than at any time in any country in history? As for giving the flu jab to kids, forget it, that's frightening people into having a vaccine when nature can do a better job, but then you don't know what they're putting in the vaccine - mercury, as research in USA has discovered. I'm glad my kids are grown up and don't have kids. Don't worry, they aren't gonna let anyone tamper with their kids when they do. If you don't take grandparents' advice, then suffer the consequences.I'd be horrified to have a sick kid that I knowingly allowed that to happen to them.
Your paranoia is showing. You are accusing regular people, doctors and nurses and hospital administrators and countless others, of plotting to harm a huge number of people including their own family members. Your ignorance is excruciatingly offensive to people who can actually think. Please get an education and stop being a nutjob crank.
If you are so anti-vaccine, please explain why polio doesn't ravage the world anymore.
You are mad. Please don't teach your grandchildren about things you are so obviously utterly ignorant about.
Excuse me Helen, for perhaps being rude but it's not your article but the link above to some one apparently using the NHS logo, that I think we should be concerned about.
The NHS logo in any shape or lovey dovey heart shaped form can't be used willy nilly - even by someone using the abbreviation G.P. as if to denote some kind of properly regulated registration. And in my view of the comment made here in the link you have provided , I reckon this person may be an impostor.
We all know that schools are not employed to provide vaccines. They are supposed to provide education. A real general practitioner ie properly regulated, should know this, whether or not God knows too.
That sounds pretty far fetched - there's still a lot of consequences to having sex even if you have the vaccine, not the least of which is getting pregnant. Also, I find it hard to believe that teenage girls were refraining from sex because they thought they might get cervical cancer from it.
Eric
Pug Facts
'Thousands of young girls have experienced serious reactions after receiving the vaccine - and 32 girls have died.This vaccine only protects against 4 of the 99 HPViruses....and needs to be 'retaken' every five years'
It doesn't protect against hpv related throat cancers. Lovely testing scheme. 32 kids dead and unknown long term consequences. I bet nobody would want their kid among 32 dead.
It gets me thinking, what is going on with using gyn services in this country? From what I see, in practice I attend there is only one doctor, not full time (I think), who will respond to 'women's needs'. Altogether maybe 4 or 5 docs. No male GP will give you pelvic exam! I'd rather not turn to nurses... (for obvious resons) hm... ok, they can take pap smear. For some 14000 patients or so, half of them are women, how come 1 female not-full-time doc is enough?! This is incredibly mysterious. It seems like low gyn culture. Plus, colposcopy - referral only! While taking pap smear, nobody gives you pelvic exam, not mentioning breasts exam.
Is that why vaccine reliability is so high?
Cite your sources. Cranks and anti-science types tend to manufacture those claims and never back them up. Please back them up or admit you are wrong.
Gardasil is a killer
Recent reports have exposed the shocking truth about the Gardasil vaccine. Thousands of young girls have experienced serious reactions after receiving the vaccine - and 32 girls have died.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msoyRYSoSJk
The Health Sciences Institute has released an important video exposing the awful facts about this experimental vaccine.
Concerns raised over girls' cervical cancer jab http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/27/njab127.xml
Cervical cancer rates are subject to the number of partners a girl's partner has had. This vaccine only protects against 4 of the 99 HPViruses....and needs to be 'retaken' every five years.....DON'T GIVE TO TEENAGE GIRLS... adults can choose for themselves.....
If you look at the world wide figures Rosin, more girls die unexpectedly after not having HPV vaccine than those who do.
Also, I'm sure you'll agree the best time to give a vaccine against an STD is before someone becomes sexually active, ie a child.
Child and sexual activity. What about this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9065998/Girls-13-given-cont...
?
Gardasil is a killer
Recent reports have exposed the shocking truth about the Gardasil vaccine. Thousands of young girls have experienced serious reactions after receiving the vaccine - and 32 girls have died.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msoyRYSoSJk
The Health Sciences Institute has released an important video exposing the awful facts about this experimental vaccine.
Concerns raised over girls' cervical cancer jab http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/27/njab127.xml
Cervical cancer rates are subject to the number of partners a girl's partner has had. This vaccine only protects against 4 of the 99 HPViruses....and needs to be 'retaken' every five years.....DON'T GIVE TO TEENAGE GIRLS... adults can choose for themselves.....
Free Our Schools
Almost all children now believe they go to school to pass exams. The idea that they may be there for an education is irrelevant. State schools have become exam factories, interested only in A to C Grades. They do not educate children. Exam results do not reflect a candidate’s innate ability. Employers have moaned for years that too many employees cannot read or write properly. According to a survey, school-leavers and even graduates lack basic literacy and numeracy skills. More and more companies are having to provide remedial training to new staff, who can’t write clear instructions, do simple maths, or solve problems. Both graduates and school-leavers were also criticised for their sloppy time-keeping, ignorance of basic customer service and lack of self-discipline.
Bilingual Muslims children have a right, as much as any other faith group, to be taught their culture, languages and faith alongside a mainstream curriculum. More faith schools will be opened under sweeping reforms of the education system in England. There is a dire need for the growth of state funded Muslim schools to meet the growing needs and demands of the Muslim parents and children. Now the time has come that parents and community should take over the running of their local schools. Parent-run schools will give the diversity, the choice and the competition that the wealthy have in the private sector. Parents can perform a better job than the Local Authority because parents have a genuine vested interest. The Local Authority simply cannot be trusted.
The British Government is planning to make it easier to schools to “opt out” from the Local Authorities. Muslim children in state schools feel isolated and confused about who they are. This can cause dissatisfaction and lead them into criminality, and the lack of a true understanding of Islam can ultimately make them more susceptible to the teachings of fundamentalists like Christians during the middle ages and Jews in recent times in Palestine. Fundamentalism is nothing to do with Islam and Muslim; you are either a Muslim or a non-Muslim.
There are hundreds of state primary and secondary schools where Muslim pupils are in majority. In my opinion all such schools may be opted out to become Muslim Academies. This mean the Muslim children will get a decent education. Muslim schools turned out balanced citizens, more tolerant of others and less likely to succumb to criminality or extremism. Muslim schools give young people confidence in who they are and an understanding of Islam’s teaching of tolerance and respect which prepares them for a positive and fulfilling role in society. Muslim schools are attractive to Muslim parents because they have better discipline and teaching Islamic values. Children like discipline, structure and boundaries. Bilingual Muslim children need Bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods, who understand their needs and demands.
None of the British Muslims convicted following the riots in Bradford and Oldham in 2001 or any of those linked to the London bombings had been to Islamic schools. An American Think Tank studied the educational back ground of 300 Jihadists; none of them were educated in Pakistani Madrasas. They were all Western educated by non-Muslim teachers. Bilingual Muslim children need bilingual Muslim teachers as role models. A Cambridge University study found that single-sex classes could make a big difference for boys. They perform better in single-sex classes. The research is promising because male students in the study saw noticeable gains in the grades. The study confirms the Islamic notion that academic achievement is better in single-sex classes.
IA
http://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
Surely British Muslim children's culture is British.
And no British girl should be allowed to go to a school that institutionalises sexism against her. That should be, and in fact is, illegal.
True. They can have private schools, more 'culturally inclined'.
still, from 1.5 to 1.8 /1000 ppl death rate is not bad. Not bad at all. Considering how common HPV is, come on... Even by contarcting one of the two cancerogenous types (from around 40) there's no 100% probability to develop cancer.
All in all, 'do not stick dirty fingers to your v.gina' seems to be most reasonable thing to do. And cheap.
You state the number of deaths as less than 1000. What you don't cite are the number of women diagnosed with cervical cancer. Mortality rates from cervical cancer have fallen so a bald statistic as to deaths is not that helpful in either establishing an argument for or against.
You state the number of deaths as less than 1000. What you don't cite are the number of women diagnosed with cervical cancer. Mortality rates from cervical cancer have fallen so a bald statistic as to deaths is not that helpful in either establishing an argument for or against.
Good article.
But why have you ignored the Cancers caused by HPV in half the population?
Including male cancers from HPV (very unfashionable I know) would increase the figures by around 25%.
dottore 'jab me hard' keeps silent today regarding this great topic. Didn't even pay attention to the pic above, jabbing without rubber (is a no-no).
Anyway, he just misses me, I know, and is very jealous, cos Mc gives me... styling advice (mascara, lipstick and jewelry).
However horrid Mc is, he's a good stylist (girls, this guy has REALLY good taste in clothiong, makeup, shoes and bags). Ask him and you won't be sorry.
I suppose it hasn't occurred to any of these do-gooders that the type of sex teenage girls have isn't always consensual.
I also went to a catholic school from 7 to 8 and I had more sexual advances in those two years than at any other time in my schooling. True story.
In case some schools make a problem, parents can visit GP, I guess, and have their kid vaccinated.
one of the big issues is that the schools aren't notifying the parents or girls that they aren't getting the vaccine in school but can get it elsewhere. It's taking away that choice.
ok; do schools notify parents or girls before they are going to vaccinate and against what?
It's best to ask GP about any available vaccinations in case parents have no up to date info about vaccination schedules for their kids, don't you agree? Know your options, decide later. No choice is taken away from you if you are well informed and as a parent you are obliged to be well informed by seeking information and advice, or am I wrong?
Hi Helen - think it would be good to check the facts regarding the vaccine that's available. Whilst it will prevent certain strains of the human papilloma virus, unfortunately it won't give protection against the type that goes on to cause cancer. It's a start, but scientists are not quite there yet. So it's wrong to describe it as a vaccine against cervical cancer - it won't prevent this.
Also, it's thought that it will only be effective for around 6-8 years before needing to be 'topped up' - which does raise questions about giving the vaccine to girls as young as 14 years, for they'll probably be most sexually active just as the vaccine is wearing off. This information should be stressed to them and it isn't really.
Personally, I'm not against this vaccine for religious reasons, nor do I believe it will make girls more promiscuous, but I do strongly object to giving such new vaccines in a blanket fashion to young developing teenage girls. The drug companies are rubbing their hands in glee and rushed this vaccine through without as much testing as they could have had.
The drug companies are rubbing their hands in glee and rushed this vaccine through without as much testing as they could have had.
My argument against the vaccine exactly. No telling what the long term effects will be.
I'm afraid you're wrong. While there are indeed many strains of HPV, the vaccines protect against those which cause 70 per cent of cervical cancers.
As for your 8 years figure, that's just how long the jabs have so far been tracked. It's expect the protection will last for life.
http://cancerhelp.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-questions/cer...
cervical cancer isn't awfully common and only around 5-10% infected women are at risk of developing cancer if hpv infection persists.
I wouldn't count on life-long protection form this vaccine, even with boosters. It perhaps may decrease incidence, but does not eliminate cervical cancer! Remember that clinical tests differ from reality, where a lot more factors play the role in developing disease.
Pap smear at least every year (not 3 years!) and colposcopy (very simple and very effective). Women tend to 'forget' about simple diagnostic tests, they should not rely on vaccination only. Viruses tend to mutate easily anyway. Obviously you want good, but...
It'd be interesting to find out the pregnancy rates at those schools.
you mean expulsion rates of (female) pupils?
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"957 women died of cervical cancer in the last year" - WOMEN, not girls. Girls are not dying of cervical cancer anymore than boys are dying of prostrate cancer.
Leave girls alone, stop interfering with their maturation. You don't hear of vaccines for pubescent boys for prostrate cancer, do you? Girls are seen as sex objects by men and boys, and I imagine these vaccines have been dreamt up by men to continue to interfere with their sex organs. It makes me sick, also, when I think that it may even be a more insidious means of rendering young females sterile, as a form of contraception. If you think I'm being crazy, look up Eugenics in the Pharmaceutical Industry - vaccines in the USA being enforced on children against their parents consent. How much easier it is to administer these things with state and educational consent, even if the parents object or not. Wake up! We are being messed around. Question everything - don't accept freely offered injections lightly, you don't really know what's in them. they'll always give a "reasonable explanation" but your sixth sense should be telling you "NO"!
I'm just guessing, but if the cancer were prostrate, it might be too shagged out to metastasize.
"If you think I'm being crazy"
yes i do. very much so in fact.
@ jankaas Try to keep up.
So you've never had a typo, Helen et al?
"@ jankaas Try to keep up."
will try dear, but remember now that i am not blessed with that 6th sense you reckon you have. i just have to make do with the usual 5 like other mortals.
Do you just blurt out inane comments without having anything important to say? Go to INFOWARS.COM or POISON VACCINES on YouTube. One young girl dying from inadequately tested vaccine is one too many, all in the name of profit for the big pharma. People who don't care about these girls dying or being very sick are totally callous. It's easy to see what a lot of callous individuals write on here, not least the srewed b*tch who wrote the article. Bet none of you have a young teenage daughter.
Don't think for a moment that infowars.com is remotely reliable. They are a conspiracy/crank website promoting virtually all crank beliefs because they have found a way to profit from gullible people. Poison vaccines is the same. Don't use youtube as a source.
Don't blurt out inane comments yourself. Get your information from reliable sources, not nutjobs. Don't call an honest author a screwed bitch either. Get some more reliable sources and stop being such a screwed bitch.
''You don't hear of vaccines for pubescent boys for prostrate cancer, do you?''
Ummmmm, cos there isn't one?
"You don't hear of vaccines for pubescent boys for prostrate cancer, do you?"
No. Because there is no such thing as "prostrate cancer".
Why are you deliberately missing the point, dyke? You gotta be sexually subversive with all the sexually orientated pap you write, girl hating, sadistic androgenous hybrid.
You call her girl hating AND a dyke! Lovely. You are a hateful person who can't deal with science making progress in people's lives. Please get an education and learn to be less of a hateful girl hating dyke.
My head hurts! The schools are denying the vaccine to the girls because ''their pupils follow strict Christian principles''. So I presume this vaccine must also include some kind of secret Christian detoxifier which suddenly makes people turn their backs on these deeply held principles and become raging sex maniacs?
Is it available over the counter?
Just askin'
.... as the above link shows, according to a study by Cancer Research UK there's no evidence to link HPV vaccine and promiscuity. As their conclusion baldly states:
"Neither being offered the HPV vaccine nor receiving it affected sexual behaviour."
@Jankaas
Actually, I did. There was a fair bit of comment at the time how different the editorial line of the Irish Daily Mail (which is a totally independent editorial operation) was from the London-based one. And, actually, the Mail also ran some very sensible pieces on HPV in its health pages and from its specialist correspondents. But the overall tone in the news section was very anti. BTW, here's the paper's take on today's investigation: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2175083/Schools-denying-girls-...
Hi Helen,
indeed the difference between the Irish and UK editorial stance was profound. makes one almost think those Mail people may not have our best interests as their primary objective...;o)
but fair do's, the link you provided does provide a more informed view of why HPV vaccination is a no-brainer.
hi Helen,
guess you didn't know that Irish Daily Mail had a campaign in 2009 to "Roll Out The (hpv) Vaccine"....?
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Daily_Mail#HPV
http://whythatsdelightful.wordpress.com/2009/04/14/if-you-have-jaws-you-...