Virginia second U.S. state to require HPV vaccine

In addition to the semi-disastrous affair of Texas Governor Rick Perry's mandate to vaccinate all young females with an HPV vaccine recently, now another state is going to the same lengths. Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine indicated last week that he would sign legislation requiring all sixth-grade girls to be vaccinated against HPV -- the sexually transmitted virus that can cause cervical cancer.

Most parents probably have mixed feelings about this if they are informed. Mandated vaccinations are always controversial because this is a free country -- and those parents should be free to choose if their kids receive or do not receive a vaccine for anything. A life-threatening illness is one thing -- but a virus that can be spread through sexual contact is quite another thing.

What do you think? Should vaccinations against a sexually-transmitted virus be mandated by any state government? Although Virginia parents can "opt out", they must know quite a bit beforehand that they have that option.