State Funds to Keep Women Healthier and Less Moody

By Joanna Miller in News on Jul 25, 2006 11:00AM

Several Illinois women’s health groups got a boost from the state last Friday when Gov. Blagojevich announced nearly $400,000 in Women’s Health Initiative Grants. The recipients are non-profit organizations, health departments and service agencies.

The grants are earmarked for educational programs about cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and menopause. In other words, ladies, the state doesn't want to see you dropping dead from a heart attack, and definitely not getting all hunched over and hormonal. That's just not pretty.

Not on the list of health issues is a recent hot women’s health topic – human papillomavirus (HPV). This sexually transmitted disease can cause cervical cancer, and a new HPV vaccine has caused controversy among conservative groups. Given to girls at ages 11 or 12, the vaccine was praised as a “cancer vaccine triumph” by the Tribune, but conservatives are fighting it, claiming vaccinating girls against a cancer-causing STD will give them the proverbial go-ahead to have pre-marital sex. And, you know, because all those little sluts deserve to have their insides eaten away by cancer anyway.

In 2004, Gov. Blagojevich signed legislation creating a 12-member Cervical Cancer Elimination Task Force to help educate the public about cervical cancer and develop a statewide comprehensive prevention and control plan. In its first annual report, the task force estimated 630 Illinois women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer this year, and 220 will die from it.

The task force has not yet made a recommendation regarding the HPV vaccine’s use in Illinois.

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