Steven Epstein discusses the politically-charged debate surrounding Gardasil and other vaccines on Thursday, October 7, at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

New medical technologies are often the object of controversy, but rarely more so than when they intrude on the domains of sexuality and morality. In his talk, Epstein explains how Gardasil, a vaccination intended to prevent cervical and other cancers by stopping the spread of sexually transmitted infection, became one such medicine.

While most moves toward compulsory vaccination of girls in the United States provoked sharp resistance, the use of the vaccine has prompted less opposition from social conservatives than was originally predicted. At the same time, the advent of the vaccine has created new opportunities for a medically marginalized constituency, gay men, to demand inclusion in clinical research.

Epstein, director of the Science Studies program at the University of California – San Diego, is the author of Inclusion: The Politics of Difference in Medical Research.