We did a story on this last year. Now things are coming to a head.

Cervical cancer vaccine approved / Sexually transmitted disease treatment raises ethics debate

A federal advisory committee is expected to decide by the end of the month whether the first-ever vaccine to prevent most cases of cervical cancer, approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday, should be given to all girls before they have sex and are potentially exposed to the virus that causes the cancer.

A recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices would not make the vaccine, Gardasil, mandatory — it is up to states to determine whether a vaccine should be required for school attendance. In California, making the vaccine mandatory would require new legislation.

But physicians note that parents may be troubled by giving their young daughters a vaccine for a sexually transmitted disease, and several conservative groups, while supporting the vaccine, said they would challenge efforts to make immunization mandatory.

“It’s naive to think that girls are not going to get into a situation where they might have sex before whatever age you want them to be,” Tori said. “You may want to preach a particular family value, but whether or not that actually occurs is beyond your power. If you can protect your child from getting a life-threatening illness, absolutely, sign them up right now.”