Letter to an Atheist by Michael Patrick Leahy

False Statement # 9

Christian conservatives in our government have resisted a vaccination program on the grounds that HPV is a valuable impediment to pre-marital sex. (Pages 26-27)

Christian conservatives in our government have resisted a vaccination program on the grounds that HPV is a valuable impediment to pre-marital sex. (Pages 26-27) This is a demonstrably false statement. Harris cites a 2005 New York Times op-ed piece as his source for this statement (He seems to only be able to use the New York Times and the New Yorker Magazine as his “primary” sources).Turns out, this source points not to the members of the Bush Administration, but instead the Family Research Council. And does Harris accurately portray their real position ?

Not surprisingly, he does not.

In testimony before the CDC in February 2006, their policy analyst states their position clearly — they favor the development of the vaccine, just want its administration at public schools to twelve year old girls to come as part of an entire program that includes information on abstinence. His source for this claim ? A December 30, 2005 New York Times editorial on the Forbidden Vaccine. Here’s what the editorial actually said:

FORBIDDEN VACCINE

Ever year, about 500,000 women throughout the world develop cervical cancer. In the United States alone, the disease kills about 3,700 women annually. This year, scientists developed a vaccine against human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted disease that is the primary cause of cervical cancer. The vaccine produced 100 percent immunity in the 6,000 women who received it as part of a multinational trial. As soon as the vaccine is licensed, some health officials say, it should be administered to all girls at age 12. But the Family Research Council and other social conservative groups vowed to fight that plan, even though it could virtually eliminate cervical cancer. Vaccinating girls against a sexually transmitted disease, they say, would reduce their incentive to abstain from premarital sex. (New York Times, December 30, 2005)

Harris’ first factual error is in claiming that Christian conservatives in our government resisted the vaccination program. Even the New York Times attributes that opposition to the non-governmental Family Research Council. And what was the actual position of the Family Research Council on this issue ? Here’s how Moira Gaul, a policy analyst for the Family Research Council, summarized that organization’s position in testimony before the Center for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on February 21, 2006:

We recognize that the most current immunological studies suggest that these [HPV] vaccines would be most effective in pre-adolescents. Our primary concern is with the message that would be delivered to nine- to twelve-year-olds with the administration of the vaccines. Care must be taken not to communicate that such an intervention makes all sex “safe.” We strongly encourage the health care community to clearly communicate the medically accurate fact that only abstaining from sexual contact with infected individuals can fully protect someone from the wide range of sexually transmitted diseases. . . .

Because parents have an inherent right to be the primary educator and decision maker regarding their children’s health, we would oppose any measures to legally require vaccination or to coerce parents into authorizing it. Because the cancer-causing strains of HPV are not transmitted through casual contact, there is no justification for any vaccination mandate as a condition of public school attendance. However, we do support the widespread distribution and use of vaccines against HPV.

The Family Research Council is not opposing an HPV vaccine program. It is simply stating that it favors parental assent prior to the administration of the vaccine to children at school aged nine to twelve. That position is a far cry from his assertion that Christians want to preserve cervical cancer as an incentive against premarital sex.

To follow the most recent developments of his writing career, check out his BLOG. Comments are welcome.

If you wish to contact us: email@michaelpatrickleahy.com