The Ethics of Mandatory Vaccination
The year is 1902, and the state of Massachusetts has just suffered from a smallpox epidemic. Hoping to curb the spread of the disease, the state implements a mandatory vaccination policy, fining those who refuse to take the vaccine. Henning Jacobson refuses the vaccine, claiming that vaccines have hurt him in the past, and sues his state. Losing the case, he then appeals to the Supreme Court of the United States. However, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Massachusetts's actions, stating that "in every well-ordered society charged with the duty of conserving the safety of its members the rights of the individual in respect of his liberty may at times, under the pressure of great dangers, be …show more content…
Religious exemptions to vaccines are given in 47 states (Sandstrom). Many major religions allow for the use of vaccines, such as Catholicism and Judaism. However, there are religions which completely bar the use of vaccines. Mary Holland, while testifying against West Virginia's vaccination mandates, frames the argument as thus: "Religious organizations including Christian Scientists, the Amish and Seventh Day Adventists believe that to vaccinate is to defile the temple of the body that God has bestowed. For these believers, to compel vaccination is in effect to bar them from participation in this community." This argument especially becomes difficult when consulting the first amendment of the United States Constitution, which guarantees the right to freely practice one's chosen religion. The conundrum, therefore, is this: is it the right of the parent to reject vaccines for their children based on their religious …show more content…
These states, which do not allow for any sort of exemption from vaccines relating to personal belief, have some of the lowest rates of vaccine-preventable illness in the United States. Although some may object to a perceived lack of rights accompanying these forced vaccines, it is clear that the necessity of vaccination warrants these measures. Mandatory vaccination is a societal good which positively influences health. More specifically, mandatory vaccination benefits the rights of others to not become ill by preventable diseases, making it an ethical decision to implement in the United
The year is 1902, and the state of Massachusetts has just suffered from a smallpox epidemic. Hoping to curb the spread of the disease, the state implements a mandatory vaccination policy, fining those who refuse to take the vaccine. Henning Jacobson refuses the vaccine, claiming that vaccines have hurt him in the past, and sues his state. Losing the case, he then appeals to the Supreme Court of the United States. However, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Massachusetts's actions, stating that "in every well-ordered society charged with the duty of conserving the safety of its members the rights of the individual in respect of his liberty may at times, under the pressure of great dangers, be …show more content…
Religious exemptions to vaccines are given in 47 states (Sandstrom). Many major religions allow for the use of vaccines, such as Catholicism and Judaism. However, there are religions which completely bar the use of vaccines. Mary Holland, while testifying against West Virginia's vaccination mandates, frames the argument as thus: "Religious organizations including Christian Scientists, the Amish and Seventh Day Adventists believe that to vaccinate is to defile the temple of the body that God has bestowed. For these believers, to compel vaccination is in effect to bar them from participation in this community." This argument especially becomes difficult when consulting the first amendment of the United States Constitution, which guarantees the right to freely practice one's chosen religion. The conundrum, therefore, is this: is it the right of the parent to reject vaccines for their children based on their religious …show more content…
These states, which do not allow for any sort of exemption from vaccines relating to personal belief, have some of the lowest rates of vaccine-preventable illness in the United States. Although some may object to a perceived lack of rights accompanying these forced vaccines, it is clear that the necessity of vaccination warrants these measures. Mandatory vaccination is a societal good which positively influences health. More specifically, mandatory vaccination benefits the rights of others to not become ill by preventable diseases, making it an ethical decision to implement in the United