Priest urges chastity instead of cervical cancer jab

A CORK priest has questioned the safety of the cervical cancer vaccine due to be rolled out here next month and said parents should instead be extolling the virtues of chastity.

In a letter to this newspaper, Fr Eamonn McCarthy, a curate in Coachford, questioned whether the HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccine for secondary school girls merely offered a false sense of security, and said “mother nature” like “mother church” was not being heeded.

“At best, the vaccine, like the condom, will only reduce the risk of infection (for four of the 100 or so strains of the virus),” he said. “It offers no guarantees against cervical cancer. Regular smear tests have always proved the best means to detect early signs of cancerous cells and will continue to be recommended in spite of the vaccine.”