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 6^th 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