Abstract:

How does one learn to become an effective advocate on public health issues?  “To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate: The Story of Hamilton, Columbia” introduces the reader to the fictional US state of Columbia and its legislature’s dilemma over whether to mandate the HPV vaccine for the state’s young people or simply to educate them and their parents on the importance and availability of the vaccine. On the surface this appears to be a straightforward public health question: Will a vaccine mandate or a voluntary educational effort be more effective in preventing HPV infection and ultimately HPV-related cancers? But as the narrative unfolds, we come to understand that the legislative context is much more complicated and the tensions myriad, complete with financial and political deal making, power contests in anticipation of an upcoming election, and much more. Furthermore, given that the scientific evidence is still incomplete in some aspects and does not necessarily point to a single best option for the state, the ethical concerns at stake become all the more important. What should Columbia do? As the story draws to a close, the state legislature’s Health, Education, and Labor Committee is about to open a public hearing on the dilemma, inviting an array of experts, community leaders, pharmaceutical reps, and government staffers and elected officials to speak on two bills under consideration: one for a mandate and the other for education only. This is where the students will step in to bring the hearing to life, arguing for the course of action they think is most prudent and learning techniques in effective legislative advocacy on important public health issues in the process. 

Notes:

Teaching note available for faculty/instructors.

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