Bishop apologises for controversial cervical vaccine comments

The Bishop has apologised for his ‘misinformed’ comments.

The Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, Bishop Phonsie Cullinan, referred to the provision of cervical vaccines as being more of a “lifestyle issue” and that “we should be doing more to protect young girls.” However, the Bishop has now apologised for the comments that he made to a number of media outlets where he suggested that the HPV vaccine encouraged promiscuity among teenage girls. Bishop Cullinan has apologised for speaking on an issue when he was “not fully informed”, saying:

“I wish to apologise for contributing to any misinformation, or indeed for causing upset to anyone, concerning use of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines. "My intervention was in response to concerns which I had received about HPV vaccines from parents wishing to make the best health decision on behalf of their children, and from young people alike. “My intention was solely motivated to protect people from the HPV.I was not fully informed about the vaccination programme and I can see now how HPV vaccines can contribute greatly to lowering the rate of cervical cancer. “As I have learnt, possession of full information is paramount on this vital health issue.”

Statement by Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan on #HPV vaccines https://t.co/fXeULqrfEN pic.twitter.com/AjmvpvtsuU

— CatholicBishops (@CatholicBishops) October 2, 2017

The Bishop was apologising for comments like those shared with the Munster Express, which included the following:

“We’re giving 12-year-olds an injection against something that is sexually transmitted. What kind of message if that to give a 12-year-old girl? “Can we not do better than throwing condoms at young boys and throwing the HPV vaccine at young girls?”

The HSE spoke out against the Bishop’s comments, saying:

“He has chosen certain statistics and repackaged them in a way to suit his particular narrative.  His miscommunication of information in this way puts the health and lives of women in Ireland at risk. This is unacceptable for a person in his position.” "His comments may have had resonance fifty years ago in Ireland. But in the context of a young, intelligent, vibrant and mobile population of Ireland of 2017 his comments are outdated, unhelpful and quite frankly ill-informed.”

According to the HSE, around 300 women in Ireland contract cervical cancer each year and approximately 90 of these women will not survive. The HPV cervical cancer vaccine is given to about 30,000 girls a year in school, to prevent and guard against the human papilloma virus and cancer later in life. The vaccine used is Gardasil and is given to fend off HPV 16 and 18 which are responsible for 90 percent of genital warts. There has been a decrease in numbers of those receiving the vaccine due to reports of adverse reactions including headaches, rashes, dizziness and in severe cases hypersensitivity-type reactions and chronic fatigue.