UPDATES IN MICHIGAN FAMILY LAW

Elizabeth Smart Speaks Out at Human Trafficking Conference

On May 2, 2013, Elizabeth Smart spoke out at a forum on human trafficking at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She addressed the issue why the three young women kidnapped in Ohio may not have spoken out or tried to escape for such a long time.

Smart said that she was raised in a religious household where abstinence was taught and valued. She remembered a school teacher who spoke once about abstinence and compared sex to chewing gum--deriding someone who permitted sexual touching over and over and evoking a sense of shame and lack of worth in a young girl who had been kidnapped, forcibly raped, and held hostage.

HPV Education | Michelle Whitlock Advocates for Protection

Today I re-discovered a powerful advocate for protection of our children against HPV. As my long-time readers know, I have written extensively about HPV, its prevalence, and how parents can protect their children.

Michelle Whitlock is the author of the recently published book How I Lost My Uterus and Found My Voice.

Michelle is a motivated activist for one of the biggest challenges to parents and their beloved children. I wrote about her in 2008 in this post: HPV | Changing teenagers' futures in a heartbeat
Michelle unknowingly contracted one of the strains of HPV that causes cervical cancer. Surgery for the cancer was not successful, and Michelle was informed that she would need a hysterectomy. She took a proactive stance and consulted with doctors who harvested some of her eggs. Today, she and her husband are the lucky parents of a child born by surrogacy. Michelle's new book tells her story and also educates young women and men about the danger of HPV and how to avoid contracting it.

Other posts on this blog about HPV, the issues, the need for education of teenagers and their parents may be found here.

See an interview with Michelle below.

 

HPV causes 64 percent of oral, head and neck cancers

If you're not interested in family social issues, now is the time to hit the delete key. My readers know that I have written frequently in the past about the prevalence of HPV in teenagers—and the risk of cancer caused by certain strains of HPV. NPR recently noted that there is now more evidence that HPV causes oral, head and neck cancers and that vaccines may be able to prevent it.

We used to talk about HPV being the cause of over 99% of all cervical cancers. However, researchers studying the human papilloma virus now say that in the United States HPV causes 64 percent of oropharynxl cancers.

HPV | Changing teenagers' futures in a heartbeat

I was recently struck by how easy it is for teen sex to change in a heartbeat the future of young women without a teenager even knowing what has happened until it is too late.

I've written extensively about the dangers of teen sex and the rampant increase in incidence of HPV infection. HPV is the STD that keeps on giving, spreading exponentially when an infected boy or girl has sex with others. There are three strains of HPV that cause virtually all cervical cancers.

Here's a story about how cervical cancer changed one woman's life forever. She is a survivor of cervical cancer caused by HPV. She had it twice. Now she is unable to conceive or carry a child. She and her husband will be fortunate indeed if just one of the remaining cryo-preserved embryos that they saved before her treatment allows them to have children.

Teen pregnancy | Abstinence education not an option

Teen pregnancy is becoming a huge issue as birth rates once again rise and as the percentages of first births to unmarried mothers increases after a hiatus between 1991 and 2006. An op-ed piece by June Carbone of University of Missouri-Kansas City and Naomi Cahn of George Washington University, both family law professors, was published in STLtoday.com on September 5,  2008. It's well worth reading by family lawyers counseling their clients and also by parents.

STDs | One in 4 teenage girls has one

One-fourth of American girls aged 14 to 19 have a sexually transmitted disease, CDC researchers reported yesterday at the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference in Chicago.

As part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, some 800 teenage girls were asked about human papillomavirus, chlamydia, genital herpes, and trichomoniasis, and also submitted vaginal swabs for testing.

Among other findings:

• STDs were more common in black than white teens (48% vs. 20%).
• HPV and chlamydia were found most often — in 18% and 4% of all girls, respectively.
• Some 15% of infected girls had more than one STD.

You can read the CDC press release here. (Free)

New York Times story "Sex Infections Found in Quarter of Teenaged Girls"

New Hampshire offers free Gardasil | Program swamped

New Hampshire began offering Gardasil to eligible girls without charge in January 2007. The New Hampshire program includes girls aged 9 through 18, although the FDA has approved and recommended the vaccine for all girls aged 9 through 26. State officials report that the demand is outstripping supply and that some healthcare providers have waiting lists.  Apparently advertising has stimulated demand, and the state’s budget will permit inoculation of only about one-quarter of eligible girls this year.  New Hampshire is encouraging parents to check with their health care insurers to see whether coverage is available.

Statistics on the high prevalence of HPV infection and other recent posts about Gardasil on this Blog may be found here.

May 12, 2007 New York Times article about the New Hampshire program

To visit Jeanne Hannah's website for more information, click here:

 Technorati tags: Gardasil, hpv, merck, cervical cancer, vaccine, cancer, cervical cancer vaccine, std, hpv vaccine

Gardasil | Texas | Califonia: Breaking news

According to the Houston Chronicle, "the Texas House sent a veto-proof message to Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday that schoolgirls will not be required to be vaccinated against a sexually transmitted virus linked to cervical cancer." (3/14/2007)

In the meantime, the San Francisco Chronicle reports "A bill that would require girls entering seventh grade to be vaccinated against a virus that can cause cervical cancer stumbled in its first legislative hearing Tuesday over concerns about parental rights and the lack of a long safety record for the new vaccine. " (3/14/2007)

Technorati Tags: HPV vaccine, gardasil, HPV Virus,  Gardasil,  Cervical Cancer Vaccine

Merck to stop lobbying for mandatory Gardasil legislation

While at least 20 states have legislation pending to make vaccination with Gardasil® mandatory for girls prior to entry in 6th grade, Merck has backed away from its financial support of lobbying efforts, according to a report by the New York Times on Wednesday, February 21, 2007. Merck’s decision was triggered by the furor over the company’s involvement in the campaign by Women in Government to push for legislation nationwide. Merck refuses to disclose the extent of its financial contributions to these efforts up to this point.

Gardasil acts against strains of the human papillomavirus that account for an estimated 70 percent of the cases of cervical cancer. The virus, known as HPV, is transmitted sexually, so experts say the vaccine is best given before girls become sexually active.

There are more than 100 strains of the HPV virus, which is transmitted through sexual contact. Clinical trials showed that Gardasil is safe and 100 percent effective in preventing two strains of HPV—HPV 16 and HPV 18. These two strains cause 70 percent of cervical cancers. Gardasil, administered in three injections given over a period of six months, is also 99 percent effective in preventing HPV strains 6 and 11. These particular strains cause about 90 percent of genital wart cases. The vaccine does not work if a woman is already infected with one of these HPV types. It has to be given before infection, which is what makes vaccination of pre-teen girls an effective option.

Read the New York Times article, Lobbying for vaccine to be halted here.

Technorati Tags: HPV vaccine, gardasil, HPV Virus,  Gardasil,  Cervical Cancer Vaccine

HPV Vaccine: Mandatory for Teenagers or Not?

Let’s talk turkey about a tough subject—the incredible incidence of sexually transmitted disease among Americans. HPV is a serious sexually transmitted disease. Some strains of it cause about 70% of cervical cancers. HPV is rampant among Americans.

For the facts, see a 1-page FAQ sheet from the American Social Health Association.

In June 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Gardasil, a vaccine by Merck and Company to prevent cervical cancer and genital warts caused by certain types of HPV. The vaccine is licensed for use in girls and women ages 9-26 years. In clinical trials Gardasil was shown to be nearly 100% effective at blocking persistent infection and disease with the “high-risk” HPV types responsible for 70% of cervical cancers (HPV 16 and 18) and the “low-risk” types (HPV 6 and 11) associated with 90% of genital warts.

The CDC has released a bulletin in which it states that 50% of sexually active people will become infected with HPV.