Safety before politics

Our generation has been raised to understand that sex isn't all fun and games. From a young age, we've been bombarded with the terrible consequences that can arise from that 20 -- OK 10 -- minutes of pleasure. Though commendable, the expansion of sex ed seems to have missed a spot. One of the most prevalent and potentially dangerous sexually transmitted diseases is also one of the least known.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the human papillomavirus will affect a whopping 50 percent of sexually active men and women at some point in their lives. By age 50, at least 80 percent of women will have acquired a genital HPV infection.

If not discovered early and treated, some strains of HPV can cause genital warts and lead to cervical cancer, the second-most common cancer in women and the cause of about 3,000 deaths in the United States each year. Just imagine the impact of a vaccine to this virus. Wouldn't it be ridiculous if people turned down such a thing because it might encourage premarital sex?

Welcome to America. Merck plans to pursue FDA approval for Gardasil, a drug that has been proven to protect against two of the most dangerous strains of the HPV virus. If approved, the drug will be available as early as 2006. Deborah Saslow, director of breast and gynecological cancer at the American Cancer Society, has said that the vaccine could prevent at least 70 percent of deaths from cervical cancer.

Sounds like a good idea to me, but some conservatives argue that such action would send the wrong message to America's youth. Merck plans to market the vaccine as an addition to the mandatory list of immunizations that children already receive. In order for the vaccine to be most effective, it must be administered before a child's first instance of sexual activity.

Bridget Maher of the Family Research Council told New Scientist magazine that "Abstinence is the best way to prevent HPV" and "giving the HPV vaccine to young women could be potentially harmful because they may see it as a license to engage in premarital sex."

Newsflash to Ms. Maher: young women already have a license to engage in premarital sex. It is called free will. I'm not saying that everyone does it or that it's a good idea, but health policies must reflect reality, not antiquated ideals. Just look at the facts. The median age for the onset of sexual activity in the United States is 15. Almost 80 percent of college students have engaged in premarital sex. If approved by the FDA, Gardasil could protect these and future generations of women from developing an entirely preventable cancer.

It's not like doctors everywhere would be explaining to 10-year-olds that they were being vaccinated for a sexually transmitted disease. Does the chicken pox vaccine cause children to go rub up against others who have chicken pox because they know they can't get it? A child would simply be told that he or she is being vaccinated for a virus that causes a dangerous cancer.

As college students, we are at a particularly high risk for contracting HPV because it can be transmitted through any sort of sexual contact, not just intercourse. According to Ob.Gyn. News, excessive alcohol use and two or more lifetime sexual partners greatly contribute to the probability of contracting HPV. Additionally, "young age may increase risk because of lack of acquired immunity."

Gardasil is not a miracle cure, but it can prevent the two most dangerous variants of the virus, HPV 16 and HPV 18. These two strains account for 70 percent of all cervical cancers. Though Gardasil cannot help those already suffering from cervical cancer or cure existing cases of HPV, it can save lives and decrease the worldwide impact of a dangerous virus.

Currently, the only ways to guard against HPV are abstinence, regular Pap tests and diligent condom use. We must not allow delusional conservatives to stop science from improving our lives and those of generations to come. The religious right has repeatedly denigrated advocates of abortion and the morning-after pill on the basis of morality. For the same reason, they should be adamantly in support of drugs that can prevent potentially deadly strains of HPV.

I ask conservative America to put its money where its mouth is. If they really are "pro-life," they'll fight to save the 290,000 women the world loses each year to cervical cancer. Titilola Bakare is a senior English major from Harrisburg, Pa. Notes from the Underground appears on Thursdays.

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