TAKING SIDES ANALYSIS REPORT (LONG FORM)

Name: Jahaziel Luis

Course: Human Biology 1090
Book: Taking Sides
Issue number: 11 Title of issue: Should Vaccination for HPV be mandated for
Teenage Girls?
1. Author and major thesis of the Yes side.
Josep E. Balog states that the decision to implement a compulsory
vaccination program for polio was an effective, legal, and ethical use of
public health authority and believes it would work the same way for
HPV.
2. Author and major thesis of the No side.
Gail Javitt, Deena Berkowitz, and Lawrence O. Gostin. The three
authors based their objections on the lack of long-term data on safety
and effectiveness and on the lack of imminent risk to others posed by
HPV.
3. What fallacies of question-framing are made by the authors of the text?
Joseph wrote Is the utility and good of a compulsory vaccine in
preventing harm greater than the utility and good of preserving
individual liberty and choice?...
4. Briefly state in your own words two facts presented by each side.
The author on the yes side used statistics to prove his standpoint, from
which he provided from reliable sources. One of them being the CDC
(Center of Disease Control). The second presented the fact that minors
have the right to be protected against vaccine preventable illnesses.
The authors on the No side included the issue of lobbying for the
vaccine which leads no skepticism about health or profit and that they
got from a newspaper. Then they supported that by stating the fact
that parents are opting out of getting the vaccination because it may
face a wrong turn and lead to cases such as autism.
5. Briefly state in your own words two opinions presented by each side.
Joseph E. Balogs opinion in the matter to lower HPV is for the people
to stop engaging in risky sexual events and for parents to start
educating the children about the harms of unprotected and sexual
matters. Reducing the transmission of HPV infection among youths. He

then states that opposing the vaccinations that can reduce real and
probable harm or simply failing to provide them-is an act of
malevolence.
Javitt, Berkowitz, and Gostin believe that the people have the right to
choose to whether or not to get the vaccination, they also state that
doing so might have long term health risks along the way for women.
6. Briefly identify as many fallacies on the Yes side as you can.
HPV is not as contagious or infectious as polio. Yet the author compares
both to each other. By comparing HPV to Polio the writer attempts to
win the readers by giving falsified information or information that was
poorly interpreted.
7. Briefly identify as many fallacies on the No side as you can.
HPV is being compared to small pocks by the authors in the No side.
They are forming the same strategic method as the Yes side by
falsifying information and comparing diseases that are more life
threating than what it should be.
8. All in all, which author impressed you as being the most empirical in presenting
his or her thesis? Why?
I prefer the Yes thesis. Joseph E. Balog provided facts, evidence, and
studies to prove his thesis.
9. Are there any reasons to believe the writers are biased? If so, why do they have
these biases?
I believe both authors are biased in their own way. Joseph E. Balog
opinionates about his believes on the sexual behavior by teenagers
and low sexual education received by their parents.
Javitt, Berkowitz, and Gostins article felt to me it was more
opinionated giving off a bias feel to the article.
10. Which side (Yes or No) do you personally feel is most correct now that you have
reviewed the material in these articles? Why?
I feel as if the Yes side is more correct. Balog provided more evidence
and studies as compared to the No side. The No side felt to be
more biased and opinionated, and I feel as if they were trying to
frighten readers with none related information to try and get them to
their side. Although, I do agree on a slight degree, but I feel as if the
Yes side provided more scientific evidence.