Do you think it is ok for the Gov't to tell you that your child at the age 11 must get the HPV Shot?

As a parent of a little girl, I don't think it is right for the government to tell me that my daughter must get a shot at the age of 11. This forces myself and other parents to talk to their chi...

As a parent of a little girl, I don't think it is right for the government to tell me that my daughter must get a shot at the age of 11. This forces myself and other parents to talk to their child about sex if the kids/parents are ready or not. I think that the shot should be available to the public but not forced upon us. I don't understand why Rick Perry made the decision to tell me what is best for my daughter. I can go on about this, but I would like to know other opions about this decision..

stegall_sherry	I am curious where do you live?Here in S.C. we have a choice as to weather or not to get our child the shot.But if in your case that is true No I don't think the government should tell you that.I think if they absolutely feel the need to do it then it should be at age 14 but even then I think it should be the parents decisions.Please do let me know what state or country you are in because now you have got me curious.

dogluvr07	Well first off I don't think this will make you have to talk to your daughter about sex if you aren't ready to but we have to come the reality that many kids this age have more knowledge about sex then what we think, but if you don't tell her that one way of getting this cancer if from sex she will more then likely think it is just another vaccination that she has to have. I got pre-cancer cells at a very young age and had to have two surgery's on my cervix and it made it hard for me to carry both my children and I was put on bed rest and prayed everyday that I won't have my kids to early. I have a daughter that is going to have this shot when she is 11 because I want to protect her from this I would prefer that she be able to receive the shot then to have to have a hysterectomy and not be able to have children. I don't really think this shot is any different then any other shot that we have to give our children. Just think of the benefits from this I mean look on the good side that we have come far enough to prevent some forms of cervical cancer that is a wonderful thing for all women. I really hope that this is a break through to find more possible cures for cancer.

jlarey	I have a little girl and to be honest... No I don't think that anybody should tell me what we should or should not do with our children. However, I am also in the medical profession and have seen first hand how devastating cervical cancer can be. According to the CDC, 20 million people men and women have HPV. So if one more little shot will protect my baby from being another stat, then sure I'm for it, and I'll sign myself up.

layali162005	Yes. HPV numbers are too high. I don't have any kids but i see it this way...since birth ive been regularly vaccinated and i never knew anything about was goin on past the word "shot". You do not have to tell your daughter about the birds and the bees because of the shot...tell her its tetanus or hepatitis whatever! but you have no way of predicting the future so wouldnt you want her to be prepared as possible. even if she waited til she was married if her husband had hpv and gave it to her then you'd regret it.

ALM	No, i don't think they should tell you what to do. They can strongly recommend it but not require it. Besides, they are just setting themselves up for a lawsuit. Eventually someone who was forced to get teh vaccine is going to have an adverse reaction and sue.

SA16	I agree that the government is becoming too intrusive. I also believe that Guardasil will save the lives of thousands of women. I think that parents should electively choose to vaccinate their girls while providing the necessary guidance regarding sex. However, most parents are not taking the initiative or the responisibility of being parents. They are leaving sex education to the schools. Until parents start acting like parents, then I'm afraid that the government will continue to act as the parental figure. Now that's scary. We need to start speaking up about this and many other issues. A good start would be to yank our kids out of government schools.

Redheadinbed	If you're in the US I don't think you must get the shot for your daughter. If you can opt out of the MMR and DPT you can probably opt out of this one too. I think it's doing your daughter a huge favor getting it but the only reason I might wait on it is because the vaccine is new, I'd wait until it's been out awhile to see the long term side effects and efficacy of the vaccine. I certainly hope your daughter knows about sex by 11. Well certainly she'll know something about it from her friends, but it's better if it comes from you.

Charlie	This vaccine is just like other vaccines given to kids and will prob. soon be added to the list of required vaccines for school attendence. you do not need to tell your child about sex yet if you do not wish to...although at age 11 she probably knows more than you think she does. it is simply a vaccine to prevent a deadly disease...what is so difficult about that? You got her baby shots for her and her polio vaccine, didn't you.?..what is the difference with this one? Finally women have a vaccine to help prevent CANCER in their daughters...and they are using it as an ocasion to make political protests! Ridiculous. Just tell her it is a vaccine to help prevent disease when she is older. If a an AIDS vaccine were ever to become available would you be against that too? When I was a kid polio was the big killer and crippler of kids. When the vaccine came out, people couldn't wait to get their child vaccinated. it saved thousands of lives.

downs1229	I don't think it should be a MUST but it should be a decision that needs to be well-thought out. Forget about the insult you feel for a moment and think about your daughter's health. You never know what might happen, and this could be a wise decision. Why not prevent? But I believe it should absolutely be the parent's choice.

Carolyn D	no

Lana A	The government is not requiring you to force your child into getting the new Gardasil shot. Most doctors believe it is wise for young girls to get the shot in order to protect them against this very harmful virus later on in their lives. This does not force you to explain the ways of sex to your child though. It all depends on how you approach the matter. You could simply get the vaccine when you take your daughter in for her other vaccinations. From what I've asked my gynecologist, many pediatricians carry the vaccine, so it wouldn't be necessary for you to take your daughter to a GYN. Like I said before though, the shot is not required. You may do as you wish with your child. Once she becomes 18, she can make her own decisions but for now you're still in control of how she lives her daily life, well to a certain degree. It would be wise to talk to your daughter sometime soon about sex. I don't mean full on details but just lightly explain to her what it is. Also tell her that she should wait until she is older and feels completely comfortable with the decision. I know a lot of girls really do listen to their mother's during times like these. Many schools begin teaching sex education around the age of 11 or 12. This happened to me, my brothers and sisters. I'm not sure, but I do think high schools are required to teach it during health classes though. But you still have time until that day comes.

curious	You should NOT be FORCED to give your daughter a birth control shot. You should however be discussing the topic of sex around 11 or so, you don't have to go into detail or get graphic. Just let your daughter know she can come to you w/ any questions & that it is too young for her to have sex, but if she is considering it, she needs to talk to you and use a condom.

cjp2405	Did you smoke durring your pregnancy? Did you let your one year old play in the toliet? Did you refuse the polio vaccine?? Why wouldn't you want your daughter to be vaccinated from cervical cancer? You do these things so that your children are protected from possible problems....Give her the vaccine and talk to her about sex. I cannot believe you waited this long!

cindy	Look, i don't see what the big deal is, really. I have two young kids of my own (son 5, daughter 3) and i know I've always given my kids all their immunizations that they needed. Why is this shot any different? if you feel uncomfortable talking to your daughter at the age of 11 about sex, that's understandable. Wait until she's ready for "the talk", but get her the HPV shot before she gets this virus. Wouldn't you do anything to protect your daughter from possibly getting cervical cancer? i know i would...but that's just me.

daisy31	Anyone has the legal right to refuse immunizations based on religous reasons....although, I honestly think that this is a great way to prevent many kinds of cervical cancer.... Parents don't have to talk to their young daughters about sex...it is an immunization....which are meant to prevent certain diseases...honestly, at the age of 11 in this day and age, I am willing to bet that your daughter unfortunetely knows more about sex than you might want to imagine.... so, in the fight against cancer, you have another stand to take...a way to protect your daughter from something that could be MUCH worse than a shot.

sun of samsa	Unfortunately I'm afraid that the HPV vaccine will become another MMR. Not because it's enforced to take, but rather that the virus is so widespread. I don't think it's right that the vaccine was developed (and enforced now) for females though... MEN are the main carriers of the virus because they exhibit no symptoms (unless it's the wart-causing kind), and cannot be tested for it as I hear, but don't quote me on that. It's sexually discriminatory because it labels girls as the "unclean" ones. I heard this on NPR tonight and I nearly flipped out, mostly because the shots are so expensive! But then I figure, it's either 300$ for the vaccine now, or 1000s of dollars towards treatment of cervical cancer later. Personally I probably wouldn't have gotten the vaccine, though it's a bit late now since I've had HPV. As far as talking to your daughter about sex this early on, I say the earlier the better. Better she hear it from you than from kids at school. As the child of parents who put off the s-e-x talk five years after I asked them what a condom was, I say get to her before her friends do. -edit- And by the way, I am completely against the stance of religious groups who refuse to get their children vaccinated because it is against their (i.e., the PARENTS') beliefs... Let me tell you, I know more children from devout Christian families with STDs than children from agnostic/atheistic households because they were not properly educated in their youth. Parents put too much faith in their children to follow in their footsteps and wait until marriage... Sorry. This just doesn't happen very often anymore. These parents are putting their children at risk and compromising their health for their, the parents', own beliefs,

spartangirl	I don't think it's OK either. It infringes on the rights of the young girl(s).

Nancy	No. I think the shot should be available as an option, not forced on anybody.

sapphire	I've read alot on HPV and one of my closest friends recently told me she gets genital warts from time to time that has to be lasered off due to her having one of the strains of HPV. I'm glad there is a shot that can prevent HPV which can assist in preventing cervical cancer. However, I definitely agree w/ you. Once you and your child are comfortable and ready to discuss sex, then you determine if the shot is needed. Some kids make promises to themselves that they won't have sex until they are married. Did Rick Perry address that b/c if a young woman chooses to be abstinent completely ( no oral, no nothing) then why would they need the shot? The shot is good but Rick has no place in determining what's best for other people's children when it comes to sex.

mcneely96	no i don't think it is alright. from what i understand he also has stakes in the company in a round about way. actually the government can't "make" you give your child ANY vaccinations that you are against. there are religious (and family) exemption forms that are available at the local health departments. our daughter is exempt from immunizations (we wanted to spread them out more than they are normally done), and if we don't want her to get certain shots we don't have to let her. as for the cancer "claims" they have only linked HPV to cancer, but many things are linked to cancer. the "PILL" has in some cases been said to have been linked as well. this vaccination as had very limited clinical trials. some previous vaccinations that didn't have long enough clinical trials were proven to cause birth defects??!! seems risky either way. sometimes educating about sex seems like a safer choice.

sillygoose1015	actually.... it's a choice of wether or not they want to get it... but in order to make an informed decision about something like that... you must first be INFORMED about the product... and girls usually start puberty right around the age of twelve... (not to criticize your parenting skills) you may want to have that talk with your daughter sometime soon...

Chrissy	to be honest i'm not sure what the 'hpv' shot is, but regardless i'm on your side. shots should not be manditory, but propper health and nutrition classes should be!! if more people were educated on being HEALTHY we wouldn't need so many damn drugs it should be up to the parent, not the government --okay i did a google search...wow you're daughter is 11 and needs this shot? wtf is the world coming to?? opinion is still the same, it's your descision to be made. but aren't kids going to think it's ok to f*ck like money's now because they took this shot, not even understanding completely what its for??? I personally think it's all ploy by the pharmeceutical companies. People need to understand that if we abuse our bodies, and have multiple sexual partners, SOMETHING MIGHT HAPPEN. We don't live in a perfect world, and i wish people would stop trying to make it perfect, when all we need is accept what can happen by our choices, actions, and move on. Some children come from uneducated parents, who don't teach their children moral values and ethics, so therefore i understand why the government wants to promote this vaccine. However, there should be choices.

*Jenny from the block*	A child by the age of 11 should be talked to about the basics of sex and the seriousness of it and the diseases that you can get from it. Besides you don't have to tell her what the shot is for most kids don't know what every shot that they get is for. Why wouldn't you want her to get a vaccine that could potentially save her life?

Tiff	NO!!!! I hate that! I think the whole deal with this new HPV vaccine is icky. The only way to get HPV is to contract it sexually. Now, look, if you want to sleep around, that's your right and you should get the shot... but for the rest of us, I'm tired of those darned commercials making it seem like every woman should get that shot. Anyway, back to the subject at hand... no, it's not right! Does he think all 11 year old girls are having sex?? ACK! The whole thing pisses me off... And ot think that this vaccine is VERY NEW - we don't know any potential side effects it might have in the long run.... good lord... I did get this quote from Perry, himself, though... so I hope you can chose to be a contientious objector and opt out of it [“Finally, parents need to know that they have the final decision about whether or not their daughter is vaccinated. I am a strong believer in protecting parental rights, which is why this executive order allows them to opt out.”]

glendaray961	My daughter is 19.She just had a baby Nov 14th. She called me about a week ago and said her pap came back and something was wrong.Come to find out---she has HPV.I didn't even know what it was and neither did she. We're still waiting to see what's gonna happen and if she is gonna be OK.I wish now that she had been protected from this.Our kids have to have vaccinations from the time they are babies til they are teens.If it will protect them from all the diseases that are around us now, I'm all for it. I wish they had one for everything that endangers our children.I'm not trying to be mean but you need to realize they are trying to protect your child.Take good advice and take advantage of anything that will help............:)

phishsports	no i do not....and yes i do have a little girl as you.....personally, i think we should not let congress or the senate have more than 5 terms............the president only gets two.............the gov't is too big and needs to be cut back......i have never and nor will i be politacally correct, this country needs to be more open and less closed

cajunsmashed	There is no long-term data. They have no idea if the vaccine works past 4 years or if it causes any damages in adulthood. Nope...not mandatory. Strongly recommended, yes. Free to all who want it, yes...but not mandatory.

bibliophile31	Like you, I bristle at the thought of the state telling me that my child is going to be sexually active before she's married. HOWEVER, HPV is rampant, and you can't pinpoint the people that are going to be spreading it, so to vaccinate all girls against the cancer that is caused by it seems like a pretty good idea. As far as feeling like you have to discuss sex with your 11-year-old, I think you could just call it a "cancer vaccine." Tell her it's for girls, to prevent them from getting cervical cancer later in life.

Gummi	im 12. We know anyhow. shots r ok, we find out around 10 anyways...We know why we get it, and what it does...I know it may be tough but by 10 we allready understand everything and more then you think

PeachPie	so would you rather her get HPV? I don't understand you, 11 year olds already talk about sex and think about sex. it's to protect her from getting cervical cancer! why would you be against that?? tell her it's a flu shot if you insist on being weird about it. and there's nothing wrong with being open with your daughter about sex. better inform her before she ends up stupid and pregnant

Roundup Ready	What's the difference about getting this and any other vaccine like Polio, Hepatitis, etc?