title: HPV vaccine mandates: just say 'no' to the "great big public health experiment".
abstract: While many states are seriously considering requiring vaccination of pre-teen girls as a condition of middle school admission, the case for mandatory human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is very weak. Such a requirement lacks the traditional justification for vaccine mandates and therefore represents an unjustified usurpation ofparental authority. Moreover, serious questions remain as to whether the vaccine is effective in preventing cervical cancer. The vaccine is the most expensive pediatric vaccine in history. Given the uncertainties surrounding the vaccine, Missouri lawmakers and taxpayers should reject this expensive and intrusive "public health experiment".
authors.affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, USA. Bob.Onder@house.mo.gov
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Onder
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003254:Consumer Advocacy; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D008923:Missouri; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011634:Public Health; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines