Zina: An incurable disease?

Assalamualaikum,

Malaysia has recently implemented a new healthcare policy which requires all females aged 13 to receive human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination. Females who are older may receive the vaccine as well, but it isn't compulsory. HPV is a virus which causes cervical cancer, and is transmitted mainly via sexual activity. Here's my question; why vaccinate 13 year old girls against a virus which is transmitted sexually?

The concept of vaccination is that prevention is better than cure. While I agree with the concept, I still don't see the need to vaccinate 13 year olds against a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Is 13 the age at which most girls will start being sexually active?

If it is, then there is a serious problem with our society.

Looking at the vaccination on its own, it is a good step in preventing the spread of a particular disease. From a healthcare perspective, I don't see a major problem. But from a social perspective, I see a big problem.

You see, in Malaysia babies being born out of wedlock seems to be a common occurrence. Its even more surprising because Malaysia is supposed to be an "Islamic nation". Yet for some reason we seem to always read about babies being found is toilets, in dumpsters, on the streets, anywhere basically. That's not something you would expect to see in an Islamic nation.

Teenage girls sometimes are abandoned by family once they find out about her pregnancy, and most are outcast by peers once a baby bump is seen. This feeling of abandonment puts a lot of stress on young girls with nowhere to go. Being alone with a baby to care for with no one to turn to for support can prove too much for some, and so they dump the baby.

Our government has tried to address the issue in the past, but if you ask me, its not good enough. If we really believe that prevention is better than cure, then why are we not putting more effort into the root cause of baby dumping? Why are we treating the symptoms, but not the disease itself? Look at is this way; zina is the disease, and baby dumping is a symptom. Abandoned teenage girls is a symptom. STDs are a symptom. What the government has attempted to do so far is cure the symptoms, not prevent the disease.

The solution to baby dumpings? Set up a baby hatch. Solution to help support pregnant teenage girls? Open a school specifically for them. Solution to prevent transmission of STDs? Vaccinate the girls. All this effort to treat the symptoms, when the disease is still very much rampant.

The baby hatch is a good effort to protect unwanted babies no doubt. Its a better future for the innocent babies instead of being left to die in a dumpster. And the school is a place for pregnant teens to turn to for support and an education. And yes, vaccination is a good effort to prevent HPV transmission. But still all this can be avoided if more effort is put into eradicating zina from our Muslim society.

If anything, these "solutions" only encourage zina even more. If teens were worried about contracting HPV, they wont be after being vaccinated. If teens were worried about bringing a baby into the world, they might not be with the baby hatch available. And with the special school set up, there will always be a place for them to turn to for support should they run away from home. Its like we are enabling them.

Its weird that these measures are taken, but when certain parties want to carry out raids to keep a lid on zina, others are screaming violation of privacy.

Of course the government can't keep tabs on all teenagers. Which is why we have to ask how can parents do more to protect their children? Parents are the first line of defence, and a solid, Islamic upbringing is a must if we are to have any hope of fighting zina.

Treating the symptoms will not treat the disease. As long as the symptoms are treated and not the disease, society wont get any better.

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