Education Groups Noncommittal on Mandatory HPV Vaccinations

Representatives of state and national education groups are refraining from taking a position on whether states should require a new vaccine for cervical cancer for preteen girls, although some say it could be a burden for schools to enforce such mandates.

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have legislation pending to make the vaccine mandatory, according to the Denver-based National Conference of State Legislatures. And Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed an executive order Feb. 2 requiring 6th grade girls to get a three-shot vaccine to protect them against the human papillomavirus, or HPV, a sexually transmitted disease that causes the majority of cases of cervical cancer.

While Texas is the first state to enact a mandate for the vaccine, Virginia’s House and Senate both have passed bills requiring the vaccine and referred them to committees for further consideration. Most, but not all, state legislative proposals include an opportunity for...