The HPV Vaccine Tyranny, or a Valid Approach in Need of a...

Taking away a person’s right to choose can leave them feeling violated and disempowered. Taking away a parent’s right to choose what is best for their child can be even more disempowering and frustrating. A number of people are experiencing such frustration as a result of Governor Rick Perry’s mandate that all young Texas girls must be vaccinated for the HPV virus. In both, â€Å"HPV Vaccine Texas Tyranny† by Mike Adams, and â€Å"The HPV Debate Needs an Injection of Reality† by Arthur Allen, the authors disapprove of the vaccination mandate; while both articles differentiate in tone, justification of the mandate, and reliability of sources. Throughout the articles, Allen’s tone and approach express doubts about the effectiveness of the†¦show more content†¦Adams says that the vaccine â€Å"is absolutely worthless† (445), but doesn’t give supporting evidence for that statement. Allen is even-handed in his approach, citi ng studies that show the drug seems to be effective, although he expresses doubt about the rush to put it into use. Adams says that it is an â€Å"illusion† (447) that the drug is safe, though he doesn’t give examples of it having harmed anyone. Allen only states that there is â€Å"no guarantee it won’t provoke a rare side effect† (450). Adams said this mandate was the result of drug companies bribing and influencing the DEA, politicians, and the medical school (447). Allen simply states that the government and parents need to be won over by the drug companies before the mandate is put into effect (450). Each article makes statements about the inadvisability of the mandate. Allen supports his statements more convincingly through references to established medical authorities, studies performed by reputable organizations, and citing the statements of medical experts. In contrast, Adams provides little support for his statements. Although Adams cites the n eed for more â€Å"evidence based medicine† (446), he has no references to support his claims other than the opinion of â€Å"top docs† (445) in the â€Å"alternative health field† (445). Allen supports his claims with references to such organizations as The American Academy for Pediatrics and the Center for