The human papillomavirus is known to be one of only a few diseases that can be contracted during sexual intercourse with a person. The severity of the virus in the body can range from genital warts to contracting cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina and anus in women; cancer of the anus and penis for men. Many pharmaceutical companies are competing with each other to come up with possible countermeasures to prevent people from contracting these very dangerous diseases. I personally have been watching the news regarding updates on treatments and vaccines, especially government officials' debates about the credibility of these vaccines and how they should be distributed to the public. When the HPV vaccine was released around 2007, it was very surprising that when Rick Perry ordered an executive mandate in Texas stating that high school girls should be vaccinated immediately, he was met with much controversy and questions considering the legitimacy of the said mandate. On a personal level, Perry's mandate appears to have legal basis as it promotes protection from the dreaded sexually transmitted disease. STDs are no laughing matter, so it was the right move for Perry to impose mandatory vaccination on his people. In an article written for a famous medical journal, one of the reasons why opposition leaders are against a mandatory vaccination system like Perry's is because of fears that it would only increase the sexual activity of teenagers. This is an unproven claim as many are now aware of the dangers of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, cancer and even unwanted pregnancies because they have been properly educated by their families, their teachers and the environment around them. The teenagers are also adequately informed of his change of heart and his preliminary reasons for pushing for the mandate. Given the positions raised by both parties, this could cause some rifts over how the public should view these conflicts. On the one hand, it is advantageous to have full access to the vaccine, especially for those who are not insured by any health company and for those who absolutely cannot afford it. It could also save many girls from contracting currently incurable sexually transmitted diseases and cancer. But on the other hand, forcing people to get vaccinated goes against their freedom to make a choice and choose how to get the vaccine. Politicizing the issue would not help much as law enforcement, legislators and the government should think about making it available to everyone. Sexually transmitted diseases and cancer are dangerous, but if prevented they could save many lives.