A proposed bill in the Ohio House would make the human papillomavirus vaccine a requirement for girls aged 10 and 11. It would be a major step in helping to prevent HPV in all future generations, but Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland does not support the move.
This virus is present in 50 percent of sexually active people and is not completely prevented by a condom as it is spread by sexual contact. It is particularly common among young adults. Gardasil ' the vaccine ' protects against four strains of HPV that cause 90 percent of genital warts and 70 percent of cervical cancers. It is roughly $360 for the three-shot immunization. This is a major breakthrough in the fight against cancer, and it is unfortunate that Strickland does not support it.
The bill would allow for parents who object on medical, philosophical or religious grounds to opt out of having their daughter receive the vaccination, which makes the case for support even stronger.
The governor was quoted in a Toledo Blade article saying he had legitimate questions about when the vaccine should be administered. The age requirement on the bill falls right in line with the age recommendations by the Food and Drug Administration, which gives the vaccine before women become sexually active.
Last year, Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry made headlines when he required by executive order that all sixth-graders be vaccinated. This is a fight that shouldn't come down to where a person falls on the political spectrum. It is about the 10,000 women who were diagnosed with and the 4,000 who died from cervical cancer last year.
This vaccine makes cancer a preventable thing. While the cost seems high, the benefits, and the cost for cancer treatment, far outweigh it. And while for the moment, the vaccine is only required for women, men can request the vaccine as well ' though more should be done to find whether its effects on men are positive. There is no reason for the governor to not support a vaccine requirement.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Post executive editors.
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