Oregon House Passes HPV Vaccine Bill

The article I reviewed for this week was the Oregon House Passes HPV Vaccine Bill. This article was basically explaining that the House voted in favor of a bill that will later go on to the states Senate in order to become a law. This bill requires state-regulated insurance programs to cover Gardasil for females. Human papillomavirus (HPV), is linked to cervical cancer, so it is very important to have preventions. Gardasil is a HPV vaccine that protects against about 70 percent of the HPV strains that are linked to cervical cancer. It was approved for use in girls and women between the ages of 9 and 26 in 2006. Many insurances already cover the vaccine, this bill just seeks to ensure that coverage continues for people who previously have coverage and any new insurance programs. State Representative Deborah Boone said, "This will help innumerable young women from ever having to worry about cervical cancer as they grow older."I think there are ups and downs to medications such as Gardasil. Although it is wonderful to vaccinate early, to avoid a higher risk of cervical cancer, many studies have shown that vaccinations such as Gardasil carry a risk for other illnesses. I think that women need to know their bodies, understand how they work and what they need to be healthy, so if there is any guarantee that this will prevent certain strains of cancer, great.