Several states, including Texas, New Mexico and Virginia, are debating whether to make vaccinations for human papillomavirus, or HPV, mandatory for girls. The vaccine, called Gardasil, can protect against several strains of HPV, a sexually transmitted disease. Two types of the virus stopped by the vaccine cause most forms of cervical cancer, and so vaccination can provide some protection against cervical cancer.

Critics of the the mandate argue that parents should be able to choose whether their daughters receive the shots, which would be given to girls as young as 12 years old. Those in favor of the vaccination plans point out that 10,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, a number that could be drastically reduced with widespread vaccination. In this hour, Ira talks with guests about the vaccine and whether girls should be required to receive it.

Plus, this week the United Kingdom unveiled a new proposal to set legally-binding limits on carbon emissions. Will the plan inspire the US to follow suit? Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (2-3 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:
Elliot Diringer
Director of International Strategies
Pew Center on Global Climate Change
Arlington, Virginia

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Arthur Allen
Author "Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver" (W.W. Norton and Company, 2007)
Washington, DC

James Colgrove
Author, "State of Immunity: The Politics of Vaccination in Twentieth-Century America" (University of California Press, 2006)
Assistant Professor of Sociomedical Sciences
Mailman School of Public Health
Columbia University
New York, New York

Moira Gaul
Director of Women's and Reproductive Health
Family Research Council
Washington, DC

Books/Articles Discussed:

"State of Immunity: The Politics of Vaccination in Twentieth-Century America" by James Colgrove. University of California Press, 2006.

"Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver" by Arthur Allen. W.W. Norton and Company, 2007.

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This segment produced by Annette Heist