The drug manufacturer of the controversial Gardasil cervical cancer vaccine, Merck & Co., Inc., announced Tuesday that they will stop their push to lobby the U.S. to make it a requirement for schoolgirls aged 9 and older.

Merck made the decision to reconsider their lobbying efforts after the outrage by many parents and conservative groups to the recent decision of Texas Governor Rick Perry. The Texas governor had mandated that the vaccine would be required for all school-aged girls entering the sixth grade in 2008 in his state

Beginning September 2008, all schoolgirls in Texas would be required to get vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer. The order was passed Friday by Republican Gov. Rick Perry thus making Texas the first state to pass such an order amid criticism by conservatives and parents.

The anti-supporters of the vaccination program in Legislation fear such a requirement would forgive premarital sex and interfere with the ethics and morals of the children

The American Cancer Society released new guidelines for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which do not include a recommendation for vaccinations over age 18.

The ACS recommendations called for girls aged 11 to 12 to be routinely vaccinated. Girls as young as 9 can be vaccinated as well. The guidelines also said that women ages 13 to 18 should also receive a follow up vaccine if they were never vaccinated for did not get all three shots

n its third annual report since 2005, the non-profit bipartisan organization Women In Government finds that states are making significant progress in the ongoing fight against cervical cancer.

The newly released report, titled "Partnering for Progress 2007: the 'State' of Cervical Cancer Prevention in America," reveals that although many states have made dramatic gains in the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer, racial disparities still persist in cervical cancer prevention and treatment rates for low-income women, particularly among minorities

In the first study of its kind, scientists in Australia have revealed that breast cancer could be sexually transmitted. The scientists say that there is a possibility that HPV (human papillomavirus) is spread by sexual activity or during showers or baths, when the virus could be transferred from the genital area to the breasts via the nipple ducts.

According to Emeritus Professor James Lawson of the University of New South Wales, the same form of the HPV associated with cervical cancer was found in almost half the breast tumor samples they tested