With recent outbreaks of measles reported in the United States, the controversy surrounding vaccines and whether they should be mandated for all children has become a topic of national interest. The controversies surrounding vaccines have long been on the forefront of scrutiny, as scientific research dating back to the days of Edward Jenner and Thomas Jefferson, made use of African slaves to experiment on the efficacy of inoculation with small pox-infected tissue from other humans; thus, raising many ethical and religious debates. The vaccine controversies continue as the scientific world ascertains that vaccines are safe, effective, and safeguard against debilitating and deadly diseases. On the other hand, anti-vaccine groups contend some
