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Needles And Notebooks: The Limits Of Requiring Immunization For School Attendance, Allan J. Jacobs

Allan J. Jacobs

The constitutional requirements for compulsory vaccination are analyzed in the context of the release of a vaccine against human papillomavirus, a virus associated with development of various kinds of cancer, requiring many years after infection for cancer to develop. Examination of the requirements of Jacobson v. Massachusetts suggests that proposed vaccination programs be subjected to a balancing test that considers the severity of the disease, the risks of the vaccine, the amount of overall clinical experience with the vaccine, and alternate methods of prevention. It is argued that there are further constraints if vaccination is to be a requirement for …