‘Bribes’ offered to teenage girls for cervical cancer jab

Source: Daily Mail, 14th February 2010 

“Teenage girls are being rewarded with shopping vouchers for having the cervical cancer jab. 

Girls aged 16 to 18 are being given £45 of vouchers if they complete an inoculation course against the HPV virus, the sexually transmitted infection that causes 70 per cent of cervical tumours. 

A national campaign to vaccinate girls aged 12 to 18 has been criticised over fears it may encourage promiscuity and raise pregnancy rates, and uptake has been low among girls aged 16 to 18.”

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ANH Comment 

Following a rather controversial journey, it is interesting to see that the cervical cancer jab is now being offered with extra ‘perks’. After being linked to some severe adverse reactions girls are now having a carrot dangled in an effort to encourage them to be injected. It is no surprise that parents and teenagers have little confidence in the jab after numerous stories involving death, brain damage and children being put on the ‘at risk’ register. Despite suggestions by vaccine manufacturers and health authorities to the contrary, nobody can be really sure about the overall safety and effectiveness of this vaccine. 

Offering financial sweeteners to kids to encourage vaccination smacks of the offering to Snow White of a poisoned apple.  Such offerings seem even more out of place when they come just days after Dr Wakefield’s case draws to a close ending the longest witch-hunt in UK medical history.

Another concern is the fact that these girls no longer require parental consent to get the vaccine. Why is it suddenly morally right to treat an underage child with any sort of medical treatment without the consent of, and in the presence of, their parent? Physicians are under a moral and legal obligation to provide their patients with information regarding the risks and benefits of any medical treatment they propose. With this information, you can then give informed consent. Underage girls are now being expected to make this decision when, in the eyes of the community and law, they may not have the capacity to do so.

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