Focus on the disease (not the "sexually transmitted")

Daniel Conway, a physician and professor of medicine at Drexel, emailed this response to my skepticism about the proposed mandatory STD vaccinations for sixth graders:

[P]rotective claims of "maintaining innocence" make me roll my eyes.  Since somewhere distant in this evaulation, this issue involves "sex," the culture warriors fly into fits. The "sex" part of "sexually transmitted disease" is so much more provocative for culture warriors than the "disease" part of "sexually transmitted." And as such prompts the typical and expected reaction.

Pap smears, done on every woman, detect cervical cancer.  Caused by this virus, the papilloma virus, for which the vaccine Gardasil provides protection.  So every woman who gets a Pap smear is suspected of having a sexually transmitted disease.  In fact, the pursuit of sexually transmitted diseases is maybe 95% of the laboratory evaluations of the routine gyneocologic visit and a routine aspect of the evaluation of the pregnant woman.  Over and over again.  To be married in Pennsylvania, a syphilis test had been required until recently.  Syphilis evaluations, gonococcal testing, chlamydial testing, HIV testing are the routine prenatal evaluations.

So why the drama about this vaccine?  The age of the recipient?  And the "sex" part of the STD?

Who knows what goes on behind closed doors?  In the suburbs.  In middle America.  Who is getting abused by her stepfather or mother's boyfriend?  Sexually transmitted diseases are epidemic.  Public health determinations demand that everyone be considered at risk for these diseases.  (And considering the poll numbers that reveal the degree of infidelity within a marriage, I would agree.  Everyone is at risk.) Vaccinate.