Catholic Bishops Block HPV Vaccinations

 
The Ontario government will provide free access to Gardasil®, a vaccine aginst Human Papillomavirus (HPV), for all Grade 8 girls in the province. The vaccine protects against 70% of all cervical cancers. HPV is acquired through sexual activity.

The vaccine will be administered in the public schools in three separate injections spread out over 6 months. The normal cost of the vaccine is $400. Once the series of shots is complete, women will be immune to the virus for many years.

See update
below.
The program is proceeding in the public schools but some Roman Catholic schools are threatening to block the vaccination of their young female students [Catholic schools debating moral issue of HPV shot]. The opposition in the Catholic schools is being stimulated by a letter from the Roman Catholic Bishops who oppose the vaccination program on the grounds that adolescent teenage girls should not be having sex in the first place.

Let's look at the letter sent to district school boards from the Ontario Council of Catholic Bishops [A message to Directors of Education of Catholic School Boards and to the Catholic educational community].

In August 2007, the Government of Ontario announced the introduction of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine into the publicly funded immunization program. This means that female students in all grade 8 classrooms in our school system will be offered the vaccine over the course of this year. This is a voluntary program and parents have the final decision on whether their daughters will be vaccinated.

The Bishops affirm that parents have the right and responsibility to decide whether their daughters should be vaccinated. We encourage parents to keep in mind some important considerations.

First, infection with HPV or other sexually transmitted diseases can occur only through sexual activity, which carries with it profound risks to a young person's spiritual, emotional, moral, and physical health. The Bishops note that, at best, a vaccine can only be potentially effective against one of these risks, that to physical health, and may have other unintended and unwanted consequences. Sexuality is a great and powerful gift. Sexual activity is appropriate only within marriage. Outside of marriage, abstinence is not only clearly the choice that leads to spiritual and moral wellbeing, but it is obviously the best protection against risks of disease.

Now, abstinence may be the choice that the Bishops have made but it's not a choice that's going to appeal to most teenagers. The Bishops can't really be this stupid, can they? Do they really think that most of their students are going to refrain from all sexual activity until they get married? What planet are they living on?

Second, there is no consensus among those involved in public health in Canada that HPV vaccination is the most prudent strategy in terms of allocating health care resources to address the goal of preventing deaths resulting from cervical cancer.

As we discussed in class today, when confronted with powerful scientific evidence—in this case that the vaccine prevents cancer—the goal is to discredit the data in any way possible. Here the Bishops are raising the issue of better cures. The implication is that parents should not support the HPV vaccination program because the the government could possibly have developed a "more prudent" strategy. Do the Bishops know of a better way to prevent cervical cancer? If so, why aren't they telling us?

The argument is bogus for two reasons. First, the real reason for opposition is that the vaccine may encourage promiscuity. Anything else is a red herring. Second, the program is under way and it's known to work. Refusing to protect our children from a known cancer using a known available treatment on the ground that there may have been something better is—how shall we say—really stupid.

Note the use of the "controversy" tactic. By bringing up the point that there may not be a consensus among public health officials, you cast doubt on the validity of the program. This gives you an excuse to criticize it without having to look like a prude who's completely out of touch with reality.

Further research is required. The Bishops of Ontario encourage parents to learn the medical facts concerning this vaccination.

This is classic spin framing. Make it sound like there's a real scientific problem here even if there isn't. What's the harm in waiting? Well, I'll tell you what's the harm. Cervical cancer.

Although the HPV vaccination program properly leaves the choice of participation to parents, the Bishops of Ontario regret its introduction without further opportunity for thorough study of all of the effects of this program. The best interests of children demands that parents and guardians be fully informed before granting consent.

The Bishops don't want to vaccinate young girls because those young girls shouldn't behaving sex. Everything else is obfuscation. You can tell it's obfuscation because this debate is not going on in the public schools were the vaccination is underway. If there really was legitimate concern about the safety of the vaccine then surely it would be debated in the public schools.

Parents and educators want to prepare children well for their future in all aspects of their lives. A proper education in chastity helps young people to embrace their sexuality with confidence and joy. We ask that Catholic school boards include this message in the information package that parents receive
concerning the program.

That's better. The real reason the Bishops are against protecting their young women against cancer is because chastity helps them embrace their sexuality. (There's a pun in there somewhere but I'm not going to touch it.)

Yours in Christ
Most Reverend James Wingle,
Bishop of St. Catharines
President
Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops

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[Photo Credit: St. Thomas Aquinas is in the Halton Catholic District School Board next to where I live. he Halton board narrowly rejected the recommendation of the Bishops and decided to go ahead with the vaccinations. The lower photo is from the Toronto Star website.]

UPDATE: Jennifer Smith of Runesmith's Canadian Content lives in Halton district. She is relieved that her school district came to their senses and rejected the request of the Bishops [Health Trumps Religon]