Men have it easy. They generally get paid more than women for the same job. There's no need to forever hold on to their official divorce papers to prove that there was indeed a name change. No cramps, bloating, or tender body parts once a month. No daily birth control to keep track of. Not obliged by society to wear a bra or shave their legs and arms. Not obliged to do anything to protect the better half of the world from viruses and cancer.
You have probably heard of HPV. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "most men who get HPV (of any type) never develop any symptoms or health problems." HPV typically manifests itself as a warty growth on the genitals of males and females. Besides this disgusting growth, there is a more sinister disease process caused by the virus - cervical cancer. Members of the male half of the population unknowingly carry it, except when there are unattractive warts, and then pass it on to the girls! Guys aren't tested to find out if they have it. Doctors usually detect it by examining girls, and if it's found, it's too late for her anyway. The cancer-breeding seeds are already planted. All she has left to do is wait. Wait for years, hoping that she didn't get one of several cancer-causing types of HPV.
Despite the fact that we may get cervical cancer, from a virus that is completely undetectable until the damage is already done, there is still hope for the female gender. For a mere (drum roll please) $150 per dose, you can get a vaccination! It only takes three doses!
Think about how many AU textbooks you could purchase for the price of an HPV vaccine! ($450.00 plus the price of a doctor's visit, which at AU should bring you to $465.00)
Even better news: There's a good chance your insurance won't cover it (we all know AU's plan doesn't!).
And still, the vaccine doesn't eradicate the virus from the body, but should reduce chances of developing cervical cancer.
The sky is looking bright and sunny today.
Consider this: nearly all 50 states have introduced laws requiring sixth grade girls to get the vaccination. One spark of hope: even though girls would be required to get the vaccination, their parents might have the ability to opt out of it.
Not only are people trying to vaccinate sixth-graders; many medical experts now recommend that girls receive the vaccine as young as age nine. How can a vaccine against a sexually spread virus be recommended for girls as young as nine? How is a nine-year-old going to contract HPV? It must be a nasty virus if the government recommends that even nine-year-olds get vaccinated.
Maybe the time, effort and money put into passing these vaccination laws should go towards research to find a vaccination for boys so it isn't spread from woman to woman. Girls have enough to worry about between taking birth control if they choose (by the way, there should be a daily pill for men to take) and yearly pap smears. -
Of course, some may say that girls should just not sleep around and "should really get to know their partner." How can you really know him if there's no visible wart? The virus may still be present. How can you tell a college student not to sleep with just anyone?
If students are going to rally for a cause, it should be to turn things around and focus more on men and boys, to make those virus-spreading egoists spend nearly $500 on a three-shot vaccine. It's their turn to do something useful. We should encourage them to lend themselves to research for a preventative vaccine. If men and boys were required to get a preventative vaccine, they'd actually get screwed - and not just financially!
Rachel Lincoln, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, is The Eagle's women's issues columnist. You can reach her at edpage@theeagleonline.com.
