"This vaccine can stop a cancer that kills about 4,000 American women a year. The Centers for Disease Control advisory committee recently recommended that the vaccine be given to all girls by age 13...Some social conservatives, however, are fighting these efforts.Their rationale is as follows: Cervical cancer is caused by the human papilloma virus, which is sexually transmitted. By doing away with the fear of most cervical cancers, this vaccine may give adolescent girls a green light to have sex."

"Let's dispose of the green light. Vaccine or no, the teens would remain vulnerable to a variety of other diseases, including AIDS. There remains plenty to warn them against. Then there's reality. Even before the vaccine was available, 70 percent of American girls were having sex before they reached 18. So much for the deterrent value of cervical cancer."