Catholics and HPV: A Dangerous Love Affair

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for 70% of cervical cancers, which amount to 220 000 Canadian deaths a year. Luckily today we have the ability to prevent the spread of this; a fact that seems decidedly good. A single vaccine has the power to guard a future generation of girls from the heartache of a now largely unnecessary illness. Why then are there objections being raised from the Canadian Catholic Church?
Yes, many Catholic schools are sidestepping government recommendations for the vaccine, voting to bar their female students from getting it. The reason, because to get HPV one must have sexual intercourse, an activity the Catholics frown upon amongst students, possibly rightly so, but the greater issue is that students will inevitably do as they please. HPV then is seen as to curb premarital sex. HPV appears though a cruel and unusual deterrent to hold onto, a malicious way to teach morality, as it has the potential to take female lives.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2008/09/25/hpv-vaccine-alberta.html has a great article on the subject, describing the stance of two Alberta Catholic schools; a disturbing reality that should not be allowed by the government.
We fight for separation of church and state, and yet this is sanctioned. Some may say that the non-allowing of this vaccination is trivial, not important and that schools should have the opportunity to approve of it or not. Those on the opposition point out that those girls can get the vaccine at their doctors or even go to a non Catholic school, but this is a weak argument. Girls often do not choose their schools, and parents who are catholic may disregard this vaccine because of the stance of the school. The school’s choice is a powerful one that is hard to reverse, a decision that could be fatal many times over.
The Canadian government gives organizations and people the power to choose. I hope these schools see that their means to morality appear perilously wicked from my vantage point.