AMY PAULIN IN THE NEWS
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Women's Group Holds Discussion in Nanuet About Cervical Cancer Vaccine
By Jane Lerner [The Journal News]
NANUET - The controversial vaccine to prevent cervical cancer will be the topic of a panel discussion scheduled for Saturday at the Nanuet Public Library.
"HPV Vaccine - Mandated or Not?" will be discussed by physicians, nurses, parents and others in a panel sponsored by the Rockland branch of the American Association of University Women.
"It's a very important and timely topic," said Joyce Brown, immediate past president of the group. "We hope it will be a very lively discussion."
The human papillomavirus is a common virus transmitted during sexual contact. The virus, called HPV for short, is thought to be responsible for most cases of cervical cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Every year, about 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and almost 4,000 women die from this disease in the United States, the federal agency said.
The vaccine is effective in preventing 70 percent of the strains of HPV that cause cancer, according to the agency.
The vaccine is now recommended for girls as young as 11 and 12. Doctors think it is most effective when given before a young woman becomes sexually active. The agency also recommends it for girls and women ages 13 through 26 years of age.
There have been some efforts nationwide to make use of the vaccine mandatory. But those efforts have been controversial.
Both Texas and Virginia attempted to make the vaccine required for girls entering sixth grade. But those efforts were overturned in Texas after parents complained. Virginia also gave parents the choice of opting out of the requirement.
As of this month, 12 states have proposed HPV-related legislation or resolutions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Two years ago, Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale, proposed making the vaccine mandatory for "children born after Jan. 1, 1996."
The proposal is still pending.
Some parents contend that they don't want to be forced to get the vaccine for their children.
Others worry that vaccinating young girls against a sexually transmitted disease could lead to promiscuity.
Those are among the issues that will be discussed at the forum in Nanuet.
The panel will include Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern; Rockland Legislator Connie Coker, D-South Nyack; Dr. Lissa Francois, a gynecologist in the Bronx; Aney Paul, head of the Indian Nurses Association of New York; other health care professionals; and parents.
The goal of the panel is to encourage debate and to share information, not to advocate one view or another, Brown said.
"We want to get the information out there and discuss it in a thoughtful way," she said.