Nutrition for Women

Last night, I was watching one of my favorite TV shows—Law & Order. The show was about a woman who was on trial for murder, because she had chosen not to vaccinate her 4-year-old son for measles. While he was asymptomatic, she took him to a park, where he infected a little girl under the age of 12 months (you cannot vaccinate for measles until the child is a year old). Though the boy was able to fight off the disease via his own immune system, the little girl died. The DA was asserting that the woman’s “carelessness” in not vaccinating her son and allowing him to play with other children in a public park showed recklessness and negligence.

In this fictional account, the jury found her not guilty, yet the show bothered me. I have always been concerned about the side effects of vaccinations for children and, while the show was not reality, I wanted to see just how “unreal” it really was.

I was shocked to discover that since 2007, at least 20 states have tried to make the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine—Gardasil—mandatory for elementary school-aged girls. (HPV has been shown to be a risk factor for cervical cancer.) Texas, Iowa, and Kentucky are just a few of the states that have sent bills to their state legislature, attempting to make the HPV vaccine mandatory for all sixth-grade girls (average age: 11). Thankfully, most of these bills have not passed. But the story doesn’t end there.

In July 2008, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, following the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have made the HPV vaccine mandatory for female immigrants ages 11 to 26 looking to secure legal, permanent residence in the United States. Guess if the pharmaceutical companies can’t “experiment” on our own citizens, they give immigrants a try. They should be ashamed.

Fortunately, not everyone in conventional medicine agrees to mandatory vaccination, whether it is state-sanctioned or a requirement for immigration. According to an article in the May 2, 2007 issue of JAMA:

“Years from now, when additional data and experience better inform clinicians and policy makers about the risks and benefits, states might consider requiring HPV vaccination as a condition of school entry. But for now, it is preferable to take a deliberative approach… Legislation to make HPV vaccine mandatory has undermined public confidence and created a backlash among parents. There is nothing more important to the success of public health policies than to ensure community acceptability. In the absence of an immediate risk of serious harm, it is preferable to adopt voluntary measures, making state compulsion a last resort.”

And, in February 2009, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued a press release opposing the mandatory HPV vaccine requirement for female immigrants. Other groups that oppose the vaccination in include the National Organization for Women (NOW), Planned Parenthood Federation of America, California Academy of Family Physicians, and the Gynecological Cancer Foundation.

In her May 2007 newsletter, Dr. Lark wrote about her dislike of the HPV vaccine. She writes:

“I do not support the use of the new HPV vaccine, Even though the link between cervical cancer and HPV is real, there are secondary factors that are necessary for HPV infection to lead to cervical dysplasia and cancer.

“Hailing the HPV vaccine as the silver bullet also ignores the risks of adding one more questionable vaccine to the regimen of young girls. According to a report by the Vaccination Risk Awareness Network, vaccines contain foreign animal protein and can even include unintended animal viruses, as well as dangerous chemicals used as preservatives and adjuvants. This vaccine also sends young girls the message that their health depends on vaccination rather than on healthy immune systems—which can actually be harmed by overvaccination.

“I believe that educating young girls on the importance of safer sex practices and monogamy is far more crucial that injecting them with another vaccine that may or may not work in the long term. In addition, healthy lifestyle habits go a long way toward preserving health and preventing disease, so teaching young girls these habits early in life is equally critical.”

Don’t let the government dictate your medical choices or those of your family. As always, do the research, ask the questions, and let common sense be your guide.