a malignant tumour

A lot of the time my reaction to faith groups sticking their oar into issues just results in a tired sigh, a roll of the eyes and something muttered under my breath.

But this one really makes me genuinely proper angry. Hackles up, I can feel those adrenal glands working away they're prehistoric magic... preparing me to run like stink or kick off a fight.

As I'm sure all you well-read people know, a vaccination has been developed that has a 100% efficacy combating human papilloma virus (HPV), responsible for most cervical cancer cases. Cervical cancer kills 274,000 women annually - including 1,120 in the UK.

Fantastic news!

HPV is sexually transmitted. So for a vaccination programme to work well (with it's amazing 100% efficacy) we'll need to innoculate girls before they become sexually active. So far so obvious eh? I mean it's a simple principle isn't it.

Apparently not...

Stephen Green, National Director of Christian Voice (UK), said today:

'The best way of not getting cervical cancer and genital warts is to stay a virgin and marry a virgin. Why don't these officials want young people to do that? Why don't we raise their expectations and ours and treat them with some respect?'

'I expect school health outreach workers from Primary Care Trusts and the like will be giving Gardasil to young girls behind their parents' backs. Since the vaccine works best before the onset of sexual activity, they will be treating these girls, to put it bluntly, like tarts, saying they are sexually incontinent, lacking in self-respect and the basic morality required to keep their virginity.

'The message is one of despair, disrespect and low expectations. Anyone giving this drug to a girl is telling her: "I think you are a slag".

Holy fucking shit! I don't have the text formatting available to communicate how angry I am. Never mind the willful ignorant dismissal of how vaccination works. The grotesque ignorance, guilt and fear over sexual function. He'd rather condemn countless future women to cervical cancer than entertain the idea that girls eventually become women.

Naturally there are groups like the Family Research Council spouting the same drivel in the States. Well if you are determined to live in the Dark Ages. Fuck off and live there you twunts. You can give back your internet and your reading glasses whilst you're at it and the internal combustion engine too. Gaahhh!