Brendan O’Connor cites a new study about the vaccine against the STI that can cause cervical and penile cancer.
Originally appeared at HyperVocal
Parents, rest assured: Your daughters can be safely vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV) — the leading cause of cervical cancer — without being turned into irresponsible sexpots. Imagine that!
In 2011, a paper in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infection found that 16 percent of parents in areas of North Carolina felt that teenage girls who were vaccinated might be more likely to have sex, or that the vaccination could even give them a “license to have sex.”
The jury is still out on whether getting vaccinated against tetanus gives you a license to step on a rusty nail.
Look, people: In the vast majority of cases, your daughters are going to start having sex. Some sooner, some later. Some much later. Some much, much later. But eventually, they’ll get around to it. And what if the first person they have sex with is a carrier? That would be dumb and tragic and avoidable.
And guess what, dudes: Men are also carriers of HPV. In addition to anal cancers and genital warts, the virus can also give you penis cancer. Let me repeat that: penis cancer. Penis. Cancer. If you’re not a carrier already (get tested!) it’s not too late to get vaccinated, and let your lady-lovers know that their cervixes are safe with you.
Don’t forget to swing by the sex DMV and get registered for your sex license while you’re at it.
Image courtesy of Flickr/seanmcmenemy