Girls denied cervical cancer jab | UK news | The Guardian

Wow. See also.

Some schools in England have opted out of the HPV vaccination programme because their pupils "follow strict Christian principles" and "do not practise sex outside marriage".

The jab guards against two strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) virus – 16 and 18 – which cause 70% of cases of cervical cancer. It is offered routinely to girls aged 12 to 13.

But an investigation by GP magazine found that 24 schools in 83 of England’s 152 primary care trust (PCT) areas were opting out of the vaccination programme, many of them on religious grounds. The magazine found the majority of the schools opting out did not tell their local GPs, where the girls could be offered the vaccine.

Just two of the 15 PCTs where schools are denying the vaccination course told GPs of their decision. Only five of the 15 PCTs said they informed pupils or guardians how to obtain the vaccine elsewhere, the GP magazine figures show.

The reasons schools gave for not giving the jab included "not in keeping with the school ethos", "pupils follow strict Christian principles, marry within their own community and do not practise sex outside marriage" and "the school does not want parents/students to feel pressured by peers or the school setting".

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via Girls denied cervical cancer jab | UK news | The Guardian.

Comments

One response to “Girls denied cervical cancer jab | UK news | The Guardian”

  1. Dave Walker

    This is another good argument against religious schools. Presumably since they consider all life to be the creation of their deity, they will also be opposed to vaccinations against measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, tuberculosis…

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