There are so few hard core right wing religious groups in Canada you can sometimes forget they exist at all. In typical Canadian fashion, most religious organizations are reluctant to get involved in any politics, and prefer not to make a fuss. However, a new proposed program has one province’s Right to Life group up in arms. Newfoundland is facing some opposition for wanting to offer vaccines for HPV to young girls, as religious groups claim such vaccines would further encourage kids to engage in sex. They want the program, which would help reduce cervical cancer rates by well over 70%, to be replaced by an abstinence only one.

I love these abstinence guys. Despite the overwhelming evidence that abstinence only teaching actually dramatically increases the instances of both pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, the religious organizations that push for this infantilizing program refuse to accept reality. It’s not a complete stretch for them to ignore strong evidence; it’s practically a daily habit for them. Luckily, the provincial government is more interested in the health of its citizens than in their immortal souls burning in eternal hellfire.

You have to wonder if any of these ignoramuses would quickly switch camps if one of their daughters or wives suddenly developed cervical cancer as a result of the human papillomavirus. Would they think their God had a special plan in place for their soon to be departed loved ones, or would they kick themselves knowing they could have prevented it? Even if giving out the vaccination did somehow slightly increase how many teenagers engage in sexual intercourse (for which there is zero evidence indicating it would), it’s a small price to pay for these young girls to have a greater chance of living long and healthy lives