"Please, Don't Shot My Daughter!” Is There Legal Support for State-compelled HPV Vaccination Laws? Why Ethical, Moral, and Religious Opposition to These Laws May Be Jumping the Gun"

On June 8, 2006, the Food and Drug Administration announced its “approval of Gardasil, the first vaccine developed to prevent cervical cancer” caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection. Shortly thereafter, on June 29, the Centers for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) announced its recommendation that girls between the ages of eleven and twelve be vaccinated against HPV. In response to the ACIP’s recommendation, several states are considering, or have considered, mandatory vaccinations as a prerequisite for both public and private school admittance. As of June 2008, Virginia is the only state with such a mandate enacted into law. This legislation has sparked a nation-wide debate that, thus far, has focused primarily on the ethical, moral, and