Deciding to get the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was a no-brainer for me. I heard about it on the news and when I did my research, I found the benefits far outweighed the risks.

I was 19 years old and finishing my senior year of high school. I remember talking about it with my girlfriends at lunch. To my surprise, not everyone was in favor of the vaccine.

One friend in particular was not shy to voice her negative...