| Abstract: | Many in the biomedical community have praised the recently released Human
Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Gardasil, for having the potential to significantly reduce
the disease burden of cervical cancer and genital warts. However, complex intersections
of ideology, morality, and politics have made this new vaccine considerably contested,
particularly as public debate has turned to the ethics of state-mandated HPV vaccination
for 11-12 year old girls. Subsequently, the extent to which mandatory vaccinations are
accepted by parents and implications regarding the infringement of these coercive
measures on their rights to make health care decisions for their children has become
powerfully positioned in public discourse. This research seeks to examine how mothers
of girls conceptualize Gardasil and the potential mandates in order to illuminate the
multi-faceted socio-cultural context of risk embedded within this immunization. Major
themes that emerged from in-depth interviews include diverse perceptions of the risk of
HPV for their daughter(s) specifically, children as actual or potential sexual beings,
concerns about vaccine safety, mistrust of pharmaceutical companies and government
collusion, and conceiving of vaccination against HPV as imbued with a either a moral or
cancer prevention subtext. The need for collaboration and communication between the
medical and governmental institutions who promote vaccines such as Gardasil and the
public who politically and socially consumes them has been apparent throughout my
research. Applied anthropologists have a unique role to play by situating diverse
stakeholder perspectives across interdisciplinary fields in order to develop more
appropriate and informed policies. |