Support for HPV Vaccine Applauded
I wholeheartedly agree with the support voiced by Dr Stephen Boden in his letter to the editor (June 2007) for vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV). Dr Boden is correct (and brave) to draw attention to the fact that sexual transmission of the virus and people's reluctance to address these issues have retarded the use of this path-breaking vaccine. Public schools should be permitted to decide what vaccines they will require for admission, and, as governmental entities, must not discriminate against a vaccine because of religious considerations. It is curious why the vaccine against the sexually transmitted hepatitis B virus is now universally accepted, while the HPV vaccine is the subject of such ire. It appears to be the result of the increasing power of religion in politics.

Amesh Adalja, MD
Fellow, Division of Infectious Diseases
University of Pittsburgh, Pa

Islamic Law about Organ Donation Misinterpreted
In his valuable article about unexpected death in the emergency department (April 2007), Dr Thomas Barry addressed some of the most common scenarios that could face any of us and how to handle them with grace and ease. I was a little disturbed by his reference to religious views of organ donation, specifically in his saying that, "In 1983, the Moslem Religious Council rejected organ donation by followers of Islam, but it has since changed its position to require the donors consent in writing before death and that organs to be used immediately and not be stored in organ banks." This appears to be based on information available on the Internet. I have to ask Dr Barry why he chose the Moslem Religious Council, since the largest Islamic institution in the United States is the Islamic Society of North America, which may have been a more appropriate point of reference.

In addition, Dr Barry hardly mentioned other religions' points of view, which could be found on the same website he used as his source. His reference to Judaism, which appeared immediately after his statement about Islam, was in my opinion, unfair. He says, "Judaism teaches that saving a human life takes precedence over maintaining the sanctity of the human body. Many orthodox rabbis will support donation." The Holy Quran, which was revealed more than 1400 years ago, teaches us the exact same things. It says, "If you save one life it is as if you save the whole of humanity."

This point needed clarification. Otherwise, it could lead to misunderstanding and prejudice against the religion of Islam.

Omar Mohamed, MD
Resident, Department of Psychiatry
University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis