HPV Vaccines and HRCSB

So I decided after a bit of time that I should challenge myself to actually post instead of reading blogs constantly. I have an entire three months left of my summer break, and between taking care of the family doggie business and whatever else I have to do (get my drivers license lol) there is still plenty of time to do something else. So I've decided to push myself to post here and to paint more.

Anyways, onwards to what bugged me today:

You know what, somedays I'm quite happy to be living in this particular province called Ontario. Especially when our own Premier McGuinty chastises the Halton Roman Catholic School Board for reneging on its original allowance of HPV vaccine distribution to grade 8 girls within their schools. Not only that, but the board is moving to promote more abstinence before marriage, although a woman could be a virgin until marriage and still catch HPV from her new husband.

I'm glad that atleast someone within the political sphere is willing to castigate this move and understands that women/girls shouldn't be punished for being involved in any sexual act, or atleast understand the idea of harm reduction (See Greta Christina's good post on harm reduction here). And I say any sexual act because some catholics (I'm formerly catholic myself) have this amazing hate on for any sex act that doesnt result immediatly in a baby and that may offer some sort of pleasant experience for the participants.

Okay maybe I'm being a little harsh, but it still drives me nuts that people would willfully deny a protective measure for their children. Why not still give the girls the vaccine as well as comprehensive sex ed (and whatever useless abstinence only education you wish to tack on to it) and send them on their way? But noooo, in the convuluted and assbackwards mental imaginings of the religious sort, the idea is by removing one of the big scary "BAD THINGS" about sex (Isn't HIV/AIDS and the host of other ailments bad/scary enough?) these young girls will go boinking every lad that comes their way in the false belief that they are safe.

Now someone had posted (but I can't remember right now) that this mentality shows a rather interesting idea: It seems as if all these parents believe that their little daughters are all just sluts waiting to go wild as soon as the apparent dangers of sex are removed. Instead of approaching them as intelligent beings who, with the correct information, could make responsible descisions about their own sexuality and well-being; they approach them with a view very similar to the "pro-life" movement. That is that their age/sex as young women leaves them unable to make proper decisions as to their own bodies and reproductive health. That they do not, and can not understand the risks of sex or abortion, and need to be protected against the wrong desicion by laws and governance, of course based of very flawed and male-serving religious doctrine.

BAH! Thats as much as I can get down straight right now, and I'm sure a few others have more incisive commentary about this issue.

From CP24 story

BTW go check out NOlittlelolita's blog, very good incisive (and Canadian!) commentary about feminism and race and other things.

First Post! Silly Creationist Commenters

So while perusing ERV's blog, I came across in the comments a link to this and of course found it hella amusing. Maybe because of ERV's general call to students to debunk creationists and such I felt that maybe it was the time to stop lurking and start writing. So first of all, my "credentials": I'm a third year student at University of Toronto studying Medical Anthropology and Health Studies, I initially started out as a biology student, so I have atleast a basic background in sciences. So I'm by no means an expert, but nor am I uneducated. I probably wont get down and dirty with the issues because I just dont usually have the energy to, but I'll post up a few rants and such as they come.

Anyways!

That particular post caused me to laugh, for this little tidbit in the comments, replying to someone defending Aaron Elias:

"Yeah, certifiable progressive wingnut. Clearly, we’re dealing with a member of
the church of liberalism. The creationist end of the spectrum is
probably anticipating this film because it will expose to the general population
how evolutionists suppress critical discussion of and dissent from the Theory of
Evolution (T.o.E.). What frightens evolutionists most, however, is the film will
also attract the attention of liberals concerned about academic freedom"Source

Church of liberalism? My god, sounds like this guy has been worshipping at its local neighbour, the church of Republican Bullshitism with it's high priestess (would they actual allow a woman such a position?) Ann Coulter. It is absolutely amusing watching the confusing dichotomy in the posters comments, on one hand he asserts that evolutionist are shaking in their boots at the very thought of this movie because their peers will figure out their grand scheme, while on the other attributing to them the awesome power of duping the entire public and academic systems into accepting one theory. It gets even better when he actually acknowledges that:

"1This is not to say that most scientists disavow the theory of evolution. Most
polls indicate that the overwhelming majority of scientists avow the theory of
evolution, especially in the most relevant biological sciences."source

Hmmm, A clue Sherlock? Nothing but another example of religious double think, believe one thing while all the evidence points to the contrary. Does he really think that all these scientists, who have spent the greater part of their lives studying, testing and researching, would simply accept a theory on blind faith alone. Oh, wait thats what creationists do? Seems like someone is projecting their own mannerisms onto others! No matter the fact that he obviously has no idea how the scientific method works, but like many other creationists, project all sorts of odd conspiracy theories onto the more liberal parts of society.

Well thats all I have to say for tonight :D

Toodles!