Who'd a Thunk It?

If someone had told me that Texas would be the first state to require STD/cervical cancer vaccinations for girls, I would have told them they're crazy. But not to disappoint, conservative opponents are voicing their concern, citing increased promiscuity among girls. Of course! Get the shot, have sex. The thought process, or lack thereof, among religious conservatives never ceases to amaze me. This is not about sex. This is about prevention of a deadly disease. Besides, in the heat of the moment, when the passion is flowing between two sixteen year olds, the girl is not going to stop and think "wait, I didn't get the shot yet". This is up there with arguments against safe sex education.

Teenagers are going to have sex and little can influence them otherwise - not lack of shots and not lack of condoms. Religious conservatives just can't get their heads around this. Abstinence teaching alone is ridiculous, as is blocking passage of a bill requiring that all girls get a shot that not only prevents STDs, but also prevents cervical cancer. The best that parents can hope for is that they raised their children well enough to abstain, but in light of the fact that kids have sex, and at ever-decreasing ages, it is absurd not educate them on how to protect themselves.