hurrah for the FDA!

The FDA approved Merck's new cervical cancer/HPV vaccine, Gardasil. Now doesn't that name just make you feel all warm and guard-railed? Whatever, yeah FDA! But they're not off my hook yet: The FDA has engaged in expensive, harmful delays in moving ECP to OTC status. They continue to argue (it's almost hilarious if it weren't so sick and twisted) that naughty little ladies will have more unprotected sex so that they can take an hour the next day to bother themselves with an extra trip to Walgreen's. Even though ECP is saving the Cdn system thousands upon thousands of dollars, not to mention helping thousands of women in Canada avoid the emotional, physical and financial experience of abortion, the FDA persists to resist. HOWEVER, credit where credit is due, as always: thank you FDA for coming to the wise conclusion that this vaccine will not actually promote promiscuity. (There are no signs the chicken pox vaccine has been associated with rising rates of toddlers rubbing scabby little sores together). Still to be decided is the "optimal age" for first vaccination (the vaccine has about a five-year lifespan), with Merck advocating age 9 (vaccines go down like a teaspoon of sugar when you're little, plus, how many people do I know who were getting it on by 14?), and the evangels advocating something like ten years after you're in the ground already from CC. We shall see. Meanwhile, get those pap smears...