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Is the HPV Vaccine Right for Middle School Girls?

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To protect against a cancer-causing, sexually-transmitted virus, the Governor of Texas has ordered mandatory vaccination of young girls. We look at a moral and medical controversy that could spread to at least 20 other states.  Plus, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke gives a thumbs-up to the economy and, on Reporter's Notebook, the US will sit down with Iran and Syria in regional talks about Iraq.  Could that lead to diplomacy on other issues?

Making News

Stock Market Stabilizing after Massive Sell-off ()

Despite yesterday's brutal international sell-off, Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke told Congress today the stock markets are "working well" and he's not worried about the economy.  Seeing "no material change" in expectations for the economy since his testimony before Congress two weeks ago, Bernanke, said he expects to see moderate growth and a rebound from the current slowdown by the end of this year.  E.S.  Browning reports for the Wall Street Journal.

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Main Topic

Medicine, Mandates and Morality ()

The latest Journal of the American Medical Association reports that 3.1 million American women are infected by the sexually transmitted Human Papilloma Virus, which can cause cancer.  Millions of others could be protected by a new vaccine. Gardasil is said to be almost 100% effective in blocking HPV, but does not work against existing infections, so it's supposed to be administered before girls become sexually active.  Twenty-one states are considering mandatory vaccination, but Republican Governor Rick Perry has lit a political firestorm by making Texas the first to require vaccination for 6th grade girls. Is that "an invitation to promiscuity," as opponents claim? How much is known about the long-term effects of the new vaccine? We look at what's becoming a national controversy with journalists, doctors, pro-family advocates and

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Guest Interview

US to Attend Regional Conference on Iraq with Iran, Syria ()

The Iraq Study Group led by James Baker and Lee Hamilton urged a regional conference with all Iraq's neighbors, but the Bush Administration rejected the idea.  Yesterday, the Bush Administration announced a major policy change.  Secretary of State Rice told a Senate committee that Iraq has invited Iran and Syria to such a meeting--and that the US will attend.  Could that lead to diplomacy on other issues?  Michael Hirsh is Senior Editor for Newsweek magazine.

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