Toronto, Canada, Sep 21, 2007 / 09:24 am
An increasing number of Catholic school boards across Ontario are voting in favor of allowing public health nurses to administer the controversial HPV vaccine in their schools despite the bishops’ warning against it, reports The Globe and Mail.
In a memo distributed to Catholic school boards last week, the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote that, while parents have the "right and responsibility" to decide whether their daughters be vaccinated, more research and public education into the program is required.
"The bishops of Ontario regret its introduction without further opportunity for thorough study," the statement said.
In March, the federal government announced a $300-million funding package to be shared by provinces that agreed to add HPV to their free school-based vaccination programs. HPV stands for human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted disease, which leads to cervical cancer. The vaccination program would be for young female students. In Ontario, it would be administered to Grade 8 girls.