The recent decision in Texas to require all girls entering 6th grade to be vaccinated against the sexually transmitted disease HPV should be a cause for concern for parents everywhere.
With the vaccine's FDA approval less than 9 months old, mandatory immunization in Texas is a clinical trial like no other. Participation is mandatory, even for those girls who are not sexually active and thus will never get the disease.
With many other states considering similar action, and Merck lobbying like mad to turn its $1 billion dollar drug into a $4 billion dollar one, parents and legislators alike should be on guard.