There’s been a lot of talk here about HPV vaccinations in schools this week. In Calgary, the Catholic School District (CSSD)has decided not to make them available in school for the children.

This doesn’t mean that Catholic girls are not eligible to have the shot, it simply means that the CSSD has said it can’t happen on their property. Alberta Health Services offers the vaccinations for free at all health offices, so parents can take their children for shots whenever it is convenient.

I am personally glad to have another 4 years to observe the effects of the vaccine before worrying about whether or not my daughter should have it. I am a very pro-vaccination parent, but with any new medicine I think time and observation is prudent. I know about the testing and research that goes into making new vaccines and drugs, I know the Canadian government is stringent about approving new treatments, but I am also a mother and that means I worry.

When my daughter is the correct age for the HPV vaccine, I will likely get her immunized (barring cases of 3rd arms growing etc.) and I will explain to her what HPV is and why it’s important to protect herself from this virus. I will let her know that this vaccine will not protect her from any STD’s, pregnancy or nasty rumors about her virtue. I will tell her that the only 100% proven method of prevention is abstinence, and then I will tell her about why. I’m fairly certain she won’t listen to a word past “abstinence”, which is why I’m activating my “chastity” game plan now. That’s a whole other story, it also may or may not involve a gun and a shovel in my front hall. If you have a daughter, you understand.

The way I see it, if I tell you that you are not allowed to bring smoked oysters into my house because that is the rule, you are supposed to understand and leave those smelly, rubbery things at home. You are welcome to question me about my rule and you are allowed to argue your case to have them. In the end, it is my property, and I am allowed to tell you to go home and eat the vile things there. Same thing with Catholic schools, if you want HPV vaccines, you are welcome to them, just not in their house.

My main point here is that the CSSD isn’t doing anything illegal or even immoral.  As a parent in the Catholic school system I feel neither deprived nor angered by the fact that this vaccine may not be available in school. It’s part of a wonderful little thing we have in Canada called religious freedom. It’s not always convenient, but it is lovely to have. It goes hand in hand with other fantastic rights & freedoms like protesting for or against abortion and wearing tank tops in the summer. Yes it will be slightly more inconvenient for me to drive 20 minutes to the health center (3 separate times!) to get immunizations, but I kinda understood not everything in life would be convenient once I had kids.

Convenience to me now is both kids behaving well enough on a Saturday morning for me to have a light-speed shower and brush my teeth before fighting breaks out or they attempt to burn the house down. AGAIN.