comte
JF-Expert Member
- Dec 11, 2011
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In the United States, the anti-vaccinationist movement, using pamphlets, court battles, and fights in state legislatures, succeeded in repealing compulsory vaccination laws in California, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
However, in the landmark Jacobson v Massachusetts (1905), the Supreme Court ruled that “the state may be justified in restricting individual liberty … under the pressure of great dangers” to protect the safety of the “general public.”
The Jacobson decision meant that fines or other penalties could be imposed on parents who refused to vaccinate their children, but it also meant that conscientious objectors could not be forced to do so. This decision was upheld in Zucht v. King (1922), establishing that vaccination could be required for school attendance.
However, in the landmark Jacobson v Massachusetts (1905), the Supreme Court ruled that “the state may be justified in restricting individual liberty … under the pressure of great dangers” to protect the safety of the “general public.”
The Jacobson decision meant that fines or other penalties could be imposed on parents who refused to vaccinate their children, but it also meant that conscientious objectors could not be forced to do so. This decision was upheld in Zucht v. King (1922), establishing that vaccination could be required for school attendance.
