Right to Make Informed Reproductive-Health-Care Decisions Regardless of Age: Maintaining the Focus on the I in I Want to Be One Less, The · University of Wisconsin Law School Digital Repository · University of Wisconsin Law School Digital Repository

Right to Make Informed Reproductive-Health-Care Decisions Regardless of Age: Maintaining the Focus on the I in I Want to Be One Less, The

In 2006, the FDA approved Gardasil, a vaccine for the human papillomavirus (HPV) known to cause cervical cancer and genital warts. Soon thereafter, state legislatures sought to make the vaccine mandatory for girls entering the sixth grade, sparking a national public debate. Despite valid concerns on each side, and in recognition of the potential protection that Gardasil offers young women against HPV, simply mandating the vaccine is not the answer. In mandating the vaccine but failing to mandate comprehensive sexual education, children are robbed of the knowledge necessary to protect them against all risks related to sexual activity.