Vaccinating 11 year old girls against an STD, in contrast to what Lisa Weisenstein writes, is evidence of foresight and good judgment and not indicative of "a big problem." Ms. Weisenstein's views rest on the assumption that by guarding against the possibility of HPV infection, which is ubiquitous, morality is jettisoned. The fact that Gardasil must be administered prior to sexual activity to be most effective is not equivalent to condoning the idea that 11 year olds should be sexually active. The early age of administration is a medical policy to insure that the vaccine's benefits are not wasted by administering the vaccine too late. Similar rationale guides vaccination policy against the sexually transmitted Hepatitis B virus, which is often given soon after birth. Gardasil is a welcome tool in the armamentarium against infectious diseases and has the potential to significantly reduce the burden of cervical cancer. The use of taxpayer dollars, decried by Matthew Dec, to pay for this vaccine in public schools is minuscule in comparison to the amount of money the government spends on cervical cancer treatments (which include surgery and chemotherapy).