Hunter
02/14/23
A bill being advanced by state Republican lawmakers would remove the requirement in schools to teach students about the availability of the HPV vaccine.
The Gazette reports House File 187 would remove the provision in Iowa law requiring schools to teach about “the availability of a vaccine to prevent HPV” in grades seven and eight, making the instruction optional. General instruction about sexually transmitted diseases, including HPV, still would be required.
HPV is sexually transmitted, and affects men and women who are sexually active. Most cases have no after effects after people recover from them, but others can develop cancer, including cervical cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the vaccine for children between 11 and 12 years old, but can be given between 9 and 26 years old. It was first introduced in 2006.
At a Monday public hearing on the bill, pediatricians, HPV-related cancer survivors and advocates told lawmakers that removing the provision would endanger the health of students. Others who oppose vaccine requirements questioned the safety of the HPV vaccine, which has rare potential for side effects.
The Gazette reports that another bill proposed by governor Kim Reynolds dealing with instruction around gender identity and sexual activity also includes a provision repealing the requirement that schools teach about HPV and the HPV vaccine. It also removes a requirement that schools teach about HIV and AIDS.