By SUSAN DONALDSON JAMES
Sept. 11, 2009

Born in Britain in 1992, Simone Davis got off to a rough start in life. Her biological mother abandoned her as a baby, and her father was too immature to care for her.

At 3, Simone was adopted by her paternal grandmother, Jean Davis, who married an American in 2000 and moved them to Port St. Joe, Fla.

But because the adoption was not recognized in the United States, Davis embarked on a near-decade quest to get Simone U.S. citizenship.

Now 17 and an aspiring elementary school teacher and devout Christian, Simone has only one thing standing in the way of her goal -- the controversial vaccine Gardasil.

Immigration law mandates that Simone get the vaccine to protect against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, which has been linked to cervical cancer.

But Simone, who has taken a virginity pledge and is not sexually active, doesn't see why she should have to take the vaccine, especially one that has been under fire recently for safety issues.

And none of her American classmates is mandated by law to be vaccinated.

"I am only 17 years old and planning to go to college and not have sex anytime soon," said Simone. "There is no chance of getting cervical cancer, so there's no point in getting the shot."

Since 2008, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has required that female immigrants between the ages of 11 through 26 applying for permanent resident or refugee status receive Gardasil, which was approved by the FDA in 2006.

Simone and her adoptive mom she still calls "Nanny" sought a waiver under moral and religious reasons and were recently rejected.

That ruling threatens to separate Simone and Jean, and could dash the teen's plans to attend Pensacola Christian College, where she was conditionally accepted.

They were given 30 days to appeal or the teen would face being "removed."

The vaccines required for immigrants are based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to the 1996 Immigration and Naturalization Act. Gardasil was added in 2008.

"We follow the law," USCIS spokesman Christine Radigan told ABCNews.com. "The objection to a waiver would have to be to all vaccines, not just Gardasil."

Their struggle began in 2000, when U.S. authorities did not recognize the British adoption papers and the process began anew.

"We never heard from her mother again after she sent a third birthday card, and was never given a contact address," said Jean Davis, who is now 63, divorced, and a teacher. "I had no idea where she was."

The Salvation Army Missing Person's Bureau was able to trace Simone's biological mother, and the American adoption was finalized in 2006.

Local churches helped pay more than $1,700 immigration application fees for Simone's permanent residency status, the first step toward citizenship. For another $585 Davis can appeal, but she doesn't have the money.

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