A little fact that I just discovered:
Since 2008 Gardasil has been a mandatory vaccination for WOMEN ages 11 to 26 who are applying for permanent residency or women who are applying for refugee status in the United States.
Recently, a 17 year old woman who was attempting to establish citizenship in the U.S. was denied citizenship because she refused to get the Gardasil shot. This woman refused to get it on moral grounds. For many women seeking citizenship, getting the Gardasil shot is a huge financial burden in a process that is already very expensive.
Obviously the Gardasil vaccine is a great way to reduce cervical cancer in women, but I find it disturbing that we are imposing this vaccine on immigrant and refugee women...
AGREED.
ReplyDeleteAnother strike against the fairness of this requirement is the fact that it does not apply to male citizenship-seekers. Men are just as likely to spread cervical-cancer causing HPV as women are, and Gardasil vaccinations for men are soon to be recommended by the FDA. When this happens, the requirement either needs to be altered to include men, or (preferably) be done away with.