Rhode Island’s HPV Vaccination Requirement: A Topic of Controversy
Human Papiloma (HPV) infects about 14 million Americans a year; however, only certain strains of the virus—known as high risk strains—are carcinogenic (Vaccinating Your Preteen or Teen, 2015). Others are more or less benign. Cervical cancer in females is the major carcinoma linked to high risk strains of HPV which can be transmitted through sexual contact. Other cancers associated with the virus include vaginal, vulvar, penile, anal and oropharyngeal cancer (Vaccinating Your Preteen or Teen, 2015). Since the introduction of HPV vaccines—such as Gardasil and Ceravix—in 2006, HPV transmission and associated cancer rates have significantly decreased (Marsa, 2014).These vaccines …show more content…
In passing this legislation, the state of Rhode Island utilized the State power known as “Police Power”—granted to it by the tenth amendment of the constitution (Warner, 2015). Police power encompasses a generalized group of powers not granted to the federal government in the constitution that States can invoke in order to foster general welfare and protect citizens from significant harm. In order for a piece of legislation to be justified under police power, it must do at least one of three things: prevent self-harm, prevent citizens from hurting others, and protect vulnerable citizens deemed incapable of making sound judgements (Warner, 2015). The last group includes minors who are affected by the vaccine policy. Members of this group do not typically have autonomy in their medical decisions; those decisions are made for them—for the most part—by their legal guardians. One purpose that RI’s new vaccination legislation serves is ensuring that children in public and private schools are protected against high risk strains of HPV, regardless of the personal judgments of their legal guardians. This protects the children themselves, as well as any future partners they will have sexual contact with—a significant positive externality. Following this logic, RI’s mandate can be reasonably interpreted to be legally
Human Papiloma (HPV) infects about 14 million Americans a year; however, only certain strains of the virus—known as high risk strains—are carcinogenic (Vaccinating Your Preteen or Teen, 2015). Others are more or less benign. Cervical cancer in females is the major carcinoma linked to high risk strains of HPV which can be transmitted through sexual contact. Other cancers associated with the virus include vaginal, vulvar, penile, anal and oropharyngeal cancer (Vaccinating Your Preteen or Teen, 2015). Since the introduction of HPV vaccines—such as Gardasil and Ceravix—in 2006, HPV transmission and associated cancer rates have significantly decreased (Marsa, 2014).These vaccines …show more content…
In passing this legislation, the state of Rhode Island utilized the State power known as “Police Power”—granted to it by the tenth amendment of the constitution (Warner, 2015). Police power encompasses a generalized group of powers not granted to the federal government in the constitution that States can invoke in order to foster general welfare and protect citizens from significant harm. In order for a piece of legislation to be justified under police power, it must do at least one of three things: prevent self-harm, prevent citizens from hurting others, and protect vulnerable citizens deemed incapable of making sound judgements (Warner, 2015). The last group includes minors who are affected by the vaccine policy. Members of this group do not typically have autonomy in their medical decisions; those decisions are made for them—for the most part—by their legal guardians. One purpose that RI’s new vaccination legislation serves is ensuring that children in public and private schools are protected against high risk strains of HPV, regardless of the personal judgments of their legal guardians. This protects the children themselves, as well as any future partners they will have sexual contact with—a significant positive externality. Following this logic, RI’s mandate can be reasonably interpreted to be legally