Vaccinated with lies?

Over the past few months, I, like many women, have been inundated with TV commercials discussing the dangers of contracting the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Not only is HPV a sexually transmitted virus, which no one ever wants, but the ads also tell me that HPV causes cervical cancer. As a woman under 26, I should be vaccinated against this increasingly common virus, because, according to the jolly women in the commercials, most people who have it are not aware they are infected.
Initially, I thought this was a great idea. Anything that defends me against cancer is a good thing, right? But then I read a MacLean’s article titled “Our Girls Aren’t Guinea Pigs,” which discussed the dangers of the new Gardasil HPV vaccines, and it caused me to take a step back and review the situation.
In the article, complications, and even deaths, from the vaccine were outlined, and I was amazed with how I had been so blindly influenced by the media. The Gardasil vaccine is clearly not perfect, to say the least, and its testing has been limited. Long-term effects and benefits are not guaranteed…so why was I so eager to roll up my sleeve? Clearly, I am not immune to advertisement-induced brainwashing. But how come this topic affected me so much when smoking, Cheetohs and Ford commercials had failed to influence my spending habits? It was because I felt threatened.
These ads made it seem that if I did not get vaccinated, I would get cancer, and slapping the big C word on this product is a great sales tactic. And I was so worried about cancer that I didn’t even think of the vaccine as a product; but that is exactly what it is. Someone must pay for it, and a company will benefit—and at the moment, Gardasil has a monopoly on Canada’s HPV vaccine market. Threaten and scare the young women into consuming—keep them in fear so that they don’t ask questions, that they don’t wonder what is being injected into their young bodies.
So, when Gardasil tote bags and other propaganda were handed out in the concourse in the first week of classes, I had to wonder who authorized such an obvious marketing ploy. I thought it a strange coincidence that on Tuesday I was reading the MacLean’s article bashing the needles out of the vaccine, and on Wednesday I was holding a doorknob hanger that read, “Do not disturb! Unless you want to talk about Gardasil.”
This product is for “girls and young women aged 9 to 26 years of age.” I am in no way suggesting that women not protect themselves from cancer and STDs, but before putting anything in your body (or your daughter’s), remember to ask the necessary questions to ensure you don’t leave the doctor sicker than when you got there. And also remember that good ole condoms will protect you from more than HPV (when used properly).
So maybe next year the college will hand out something useful rather than tote bags with advertising that tiptoes around its true intent. Condoms at least don’t pretend to be something they are not; they are straight to the point and honest in their presentation, possibly making some people uncomfortable. But Gardasil hides behind its packages and slogans when safe sex is really the message everyone needs to address.