Catholic Church Warns New Vaccine May Increase Underage Sex
The Catholic Church in Scotland warns that Gardasil, the new vaccine against cervical cancer currently being tested on 360 Glasgow women, may encourage young girls to have underage sex.
Posted: Wednesday, November 23 , 2005, 11:50 (UK)

The Catholic Church in Scotland has voiced its concern for a new vaccine designed to eradicate cervical cancer, warning that it may encourage young girls to have sexual relationships, reports Scotland on Sunday.

Gardasil has been trialled over the last two years on 360 women between the ages of 16 and 23 from Glasgow, the city chosen specifically because of the city’s high levels of underage sex and related sexual health problems.

The drug is the first to provide protection against the cancer and works by giving women immunity to different types of sexually transmitted viruses that cause around 70 per cent of cervical cancers.

“So far the vaccine has been 100 per cent effective,” said Dr Gordon Crawford of Glasgow-based CPS Research, the group behind the trial. “We haven’t seen anyone given the vaccine test positive for pre-cancerous cells.

“This trial was part of a much bigger worldwide study looking at the effectiveness of the vaccine, and our results have been reflected elsewhere.”

The drug has come up against fierce opposition because of the advice of the manufacturers who claim its effectiveness is greatly increased if given to patients before they are sexually active and so should therefore be prescribed to girls as young as 10. Story