Gardasil

Human papillomavirus can cause cervical cancer. And girls have been the prime focus for vaccination, though that has stirred controversy almost from the start. Now pediatricians says vaccinating boys could curb illnesses tied to the virus.

On the presidential campaign trail, Gov. Rick Perry has explained his much-maligned effort to make the human papillomavirus vaccine mandatory for…

The most dramatic moment of the GOP debate in Florida revolved around Gov. Rick Perry and his 2007 executive order mandating that young girls in Texas get the HPV vaccine. In 2007, this move mystified Republicans and revealed what some saw as a backroom deal.

If nothing else, the controversy over Texas Gov. Rick Perry's mandating the use of the human papillomavirus vaccine in 12 year old girls, demonstrates the contradictions in his professed world view.