Promoters of Death

Not many better ways to say this, but the current issue facing the reddest of the red states involves the not-quite-mandatory vaccination of prepubescent girls for HPV, an STD which causes cervical cancer and is responsible for several hundred thousand deaths worldwide. A recently developed vacccine promises to reduce said deaths, and in a rare burst of enlightenment, the governor of Texas issued an order promulgating the vaccine for girls.(The order is frequently described as "mandatory," but in fact is nothing of the sort: parents may opt out of its administration). A firestorm of controversy ensued. A most thoughtful, if political, acquaintance of Chaos' raised what seemed to be legitimate questions about the vaccine's efficacy and the troubling relationship between the governor and the big pharma company promoting it. This position may be valid, and certainly should be the basis for a reasoned debate, but kindly recall what state Chaos is speaking of...in point of fact, the debate will proceed solely on the absurd fundamentalist position that the administration of the vaccine will lead to more promiscuity (Chaos can only shake his head as these words appear on the screen...). Chaos likes following this issue because of its purity: the stark face of how religion promotes death by attempting to regulate others' sexual behavior. Chaos' prediction: no vaccine for Texas girls, and some will die because of it.