Back-to-School News: Life-Saving Vaccine For Girls Promoted

The HPV vaccine is life-saving: it reduces the transmission of the human papilloma virus, an infection that can lead to cervical cancer. This past June, the Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine for women ages 9 to 26.

But it may be a long road from FDA approval to widespread vaccination of girls. There is opposition from conservative religious groups, as well as nervousness from parents unsure about how to discuss the vaccine with their daughters.

This week’s news highlighted some of the positive initiatives to promote HPV vaccination.

From CNN:

“LANSING, Michigan (AP)—Michigan girls entering the sixth grade next year would have to be vaccinated against cervical cancer under legislation backed Tuesday by a bipartisan group of female lawmakers.

The legislation is the first of its kind in the United States, said Republican state Sen. Beverly Hammerstrom, lead sponsor.

The vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in June for use in girls and women and has been hailed as a breakthrough in cancer prevention. It prevents infections from some strains of the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus, which can cause cervical cancer and genital warts…

A government advisory panel said that ideally, the vaccine should be given before girls become sexually active.

The American Cancer Society estimates that cervical cancer will be diagnosed in 9,700 women nationwide, and that 3,700 will die.

‘We believe we can save the lives of these girls,’ Hammerstrom said.”

Legislation requiring vaccinations of girls could raise awareness of the vaccine and reduce the incidence of cervical cancer.
The bill also includes a conscience clause allowing parents to choose not to vaccinate their children.

For parental guardians unsure of how to discuss the vaccine with their children, the Associated Press article "HPV Vaccine Creates Parental Challenge" describes healthy conversations between girls, doctors and parents.

Congregations Speaking Out on Afterschool Care

Afterschool for All: Project 2010 offers congregations a simple way to get involved in the public square and to take a stand for young people.

Project 2010 asks organizations (including congregations) to sign-on as supporters of afterschool care. The statement describing the campaign is fairly non-controversial (many UU congregations would agree to it). To some extent, this is Project 2010’s strength; the goal is to show that afterschool care has support from a variety of constituencies.

Both "liberal" and "conservative" churches have joined Project 2010. Episcopal Social Services (New York, NY), First United Methodist Church of Germantown (Philadelphia, PA) and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (New York, NY) are all Project 2010 partners.

Let’s represent by asking our Unitarian Universalist congregations (or committees within our congregations) to sign-on this fall. This is a great opportunity to increase our Unitarian Universalist public witness on behalf of children and youth. For more information, please visit the Project 2010 sign-up page, comment on this story, or e-mail me (shelby [at] promisethechildrenuu.org).

Labor Day News: Low Wages Impact Children, Families, and Educators

Friday marked the nine-year anniversary of the stagnant minimum wage.

For shame! This week, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities decries the failure of the U.S. Congress to enact a minimum wage raise in the past nine years. (The last hike was on September 1, 1997, when the minimum wage was raised to a paltry $5.15 per hour).

The Center’s full report makes the connection between the inadequate minimum wage and the growing earnings gap in America.

Our country’s educators are among those impacted by the earnings gap. There were two great pieces this week on the financial circumstances of teachers.

Hubert Herring, at the New York Times, gives a short and pithy reflection on the contrast between the pay of CEO’s and that of teachers. Not groundbreaking. But well-stated.

Washington Post reporter Sandhya Somashekhar describes the back-to-school classroom materials that teachers choose to pay for themselves, rather than let their students go without.