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Posted: February 13th, 2007 at 12:41am By: Rev. Jay Speights
If you have read any of my previous columns, you would know that I am always talking about shared common moral values. Well, here I go again. This week let's discuss the high-powered and profit-motivated push of the pharmaceutical company Merck to have its new Gardasil vaccine, which prevents the human papillomavirus (HPV), become mandatory for young schoolgirls. It already has become mandatory in some jurisdictions, and many others are considering it. This is an issue that definitely falls in the category of shared common moral values.
I applaud Merck's diligence and research to find a vaccine to help eradicate cervical cancer from the planet and save the lives of millions of women. No one can deny that this is important, and is probably good for older girls and women who can decide if they want to take the vaccine. However, for Merck to push to have this vaccine become mandatory for pre-adolescent schoolgirls is not a good thing. It is not a good thing for several reasons in my opinion and they are very personal.
First, I am the father of two grown daughters. If this push to make Gardasil mandatory would have occurred when they were young schoolgirls, I would have been furious. I would have felt that my parental guardianship and rights were being usurped and trampled upon by the government and a greedy corporate giant. Parents are the spiritual and legal guardians for their children, and this sacred relationship should be honored provided it has not been abused or abdicated.
Second, I believe that, if at all possible and if there is no public health emergency, children should not be forced to take new drugs. There have been many well-documented cases in which drugs that were supposed to be well researched and approved for human use by the appropriate government agencies have been recalled for life-threatening and adverse side effects. Why take this risk with our young girls?
I am not saying this will be the case with Gardasil. However, many experts believe it is possible. The National Vaccine Information Center has asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to not recommend Gardasil for pre-adolescent girls. NVIC believes that Merck's clinical trials did not prove the vaccine is safe to give to young girls. As a parent, this would have been a major factor in my decision to let my daughters be vaccinated with Gardasil.
My third reason is that I hope to be a grandfather someday, and I want the parental rights of my daughters and their husbands to be protected. Let them be the ones to make important decisions like giving Gardasil to their daughters instead of Merck and the government.
Now what about Gardasil as it relates to shared common moral values? Here is what I want religious leaders to consider. When the young daughters of some of their church members ask them why they have to take this vaccine, what will be their response? Are they to say: "Sweetie, the government wants to prevent you from getting cervical cancer — a disease that is caused by having unprotected sex with many men, or by having unprotected sex with a man who has slept with a lot of women"? Can't you hear those little pre-adolescent minds churning and trying to process this response? What conclusions and questions do you think they will reach?
The attempt to make Gardasil mandatory for young girls is something all faith traditions should oppose. The moral, physical and spiritual well-being of our young daughters is perhaps one of our greatest shared common moral values. Let's protect them.
— — —
Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main United Nations representative for The New Seminary in New York. You can learn more about his work at the United Nations at The New Seminary website. His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. You can also learn more about Rev. Speights' ministry at harmoniousday.webexone.com. © Copyright 2007 by Jay Speights
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If you have read any of my previous columns, you would know that I am always talking about shared common moral values. Well, here I go again. This week let's discuss the high-powered and profit-motivated push of the pharmaceutical company Merck to have its new Gardasil vaccine, which prevents the human papillomavirus (HPV), become mandatory for young schoolgirls. It already has become mandatory in some jurisdictions, and many others are considering it. This is an issue that definitely falls in the category of shared common moral values.
I applaud Merck's diligence and research to find a vaccine to help eradicate cervical cancer from the planet and save the lives of millions of women. No one can deny that this is important, and is probably good for older girls and women who can decide if they want to take the vaccine. However, for Merck to push to have this vaccine become mandatory for pre-adolescent schoolgirls is not a good thing. It is not a good thing for several reasons in my opinion and they are very personal.
First, I am the father of two grown daughters. If this push to make Gardasil mandatory would have occurred when they were young schoolgirls, I would have been furious. I would have felt that my parental guardianship and rights were being usurped and trampled upon by the government and a greedy corporate giant. Parents are the spiritual and legal guardians for their children, and this sacred relationship should be honored provided it has not been abused or abdicated.
Second, I believe that, if at all possible and if there is no public health emergency, children should not be forced to take new drugs. There have been many well-documented cases in which drugs that were supposed to be well researched and approved for human use by the appropriate government agencies have been recalled for life-threatening and adverse side effects. Why take this risk with our young girls?
I am not saying this will be the case with Gardasil. However, many experts believe it is possible. The National Vaccine Information Center has asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to not recommend Gardasil for pre-adolescent girls. NVIC believes that Merck's clinical trials did not prove the vaccine is safe to give to young girls. As a parent, this would have been a major factor in my decision to let my daughters be vaccinated with Gardasil.
My third reason is that I hope to be a grandfather someday, and I want the parental rights of my daughters and their husbands to be protected. Let them be the ones to make important decisions like giving Gardasil to their daughters instead of Merck and the government.
Now what about Gardasil as it relates to shared common moral values? Here is what I want religious leaders to consider. When the young daughters of some of their church members ask them why they have to take this vaccine, what will be their response? Are they to say: "Sweetie, the government wants to prevent you from getting cervical cancer — a disease that is caused by having unprotected sex with many men, or by having unprotected sex with a man who has slept with a lot of women"? Can't you hear those little pre-adolescent minds churning and trying to process this response? What conclusions and questions do you think they will reach?
The attempt to make Gardasil mandatory for young girls is something all faith traditions should oppose. The moral, physical and spiritual well-being of our young daughters is perhaps one of our greatest shared common moral values. Let's protect them.
— — —
Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main United Nations representative for The New Seminary in New York. You can learn more about his work at the United Nations at The New Seminary website. His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. You can also learn more about Rev. Speights' ministry at harmoniousday.webexone.com. © Copyright 2007 by Jay Speights
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