The Human Papillomavirus Vaccine: A Requirement For All Children Entering Middle School.

Reports and research continue to confirm the increase in incidences of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV); meanwhile a vaccine proven to be nearly 100% effective remains on the forefront of the market. There is a major concern as to why parents continue to abstain from vaccinating their children when the death rates from cervical, anal, and other cancers predominately in the African American community linger on an upward slope. This paper will discuss the ethical conflict of making the HPV vaccine a requirement for all children entering middle school. It will argue factors that support this decision as well as factors that oppose making this vaccine a requirement. The writer's position is against making the HPV vaccine a requirement, based on the success rates of school-based programs which have demonstrated positive reported outcomes and increased HPV vaccinate rates with minimal moral and ethical impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]