Mastodawn

#VaccineMandates have been seen as constitutional since at least #ThisDayInHistory in 1905, when the #SCOTUS ruled 7-2 in #JacobsonVMassachusetts that #PublicHealth needs trump individual liberty. Much as I hate government, #antivaxxer stupidity is one of its few justifications.

MikeDunnAuthor Feb 20

Today in Labor History February 20, 1905: The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Massachusetts's mandatory smallpox vaccination program in Jacobson v. Massachusetts. There were lots of problems early on with the vaccine. For one, they reused needles, causing the transfer of syphilis from infected to uninfected people. They also had problems with bacterial contamination of the vaccine that made some people sick. On the other hand, because of the global mandatory vaccination program, the disease was eradicated in 1977, the only human disease to be completely wiped out. Keep in mind that as recently as the mid-1950s, over 2 million people were dying annually, worldwide, from the disease.

With respect to personal freedom, the Court ruled in Jacobson that individual liberty is not absolute and is subject to the state’s use of police power. Consequently, Jacobson has been invoked in other Supreme Court cases to justify police power. The ruling led to a mobilization of the anti-vaccination movement and the creation of the Anti-Vaccination League of America. The Jacobson ruling was later invoked to support the eugenicist forced sterilization of people with intellectual disabilities (Buck v Bell, 1927); the federal partial abortion ban (Gonzales v Carhart, 2007); drug testing of students (Veronica School District v Acton, 1995); and, most recently, COVID mitigation mandates, like face masks and stay-at-home orders.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #smallpox #vaccination #publichealth #vaccinemandates #liberty #freedom #SCOTUS #publichealth #antivax

Techdirt Feb 18

SC State Senator Proposes Bill To Remove Religious Exemptions For Vaccines In Public School Children

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.techdirt.com/2026/02/17/sc-state-senator-proposes-bill-to-remove-religious-exemptions-for-vaccines-in-public-school-children/

SC State Senator Proposes Bill To Remove Religious Exemptions For Vaccines In Public School Children

The current measles shitstorm in South Carolina has been burning for several months now, dating all the way back to October of 2025. What started with a bunch of counties that were undervaccinated …

Techdirt

NewsletterTF Feb 13

RFK Jr.-Aligned Groups Advocate for Ending School Vaccine Mandates Across States

https://newsletter.tf/rfk-jr-groups-end-school-vaccine-mandates-states/

Groups linked to RFK Jr. are pushing to end school vaccine mandates in 12 states.

#VaccineMandates, #RFKJ, #PublicHealth, #SchoolPolicy, #StateLaws

NewsletterTF Feb 13

Groups Linked to RFK Jr. Want to End School Vaccine Rules in Many States

Groups working with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are trying to stop vaccine rules for schools in at least 12 states. They want to change how vaccines are required for students to attend school.

https://newsletter.tf/rfk-jr-groups-end-school-vaccine-mandates-states/

#VaccineMandates, #RFKJ, #PublicHealth, #SchoolPolicy, #StateLaws

Groups Linked to RFK Jr. Want to End School Vaccine Rules in Many States

Groups connected to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are working in 12 states to remove school vaccine mandates. This could change rules for students.

Liam O'Mara IV, PhD Nov 13

On #ThisDayInHistory in 1922, the #SCOTUS unanimously ruled in #ZuchtVKing that federal #VaccineMandates were legal, and that #unvaccinated students could be excluded from #PublicSchools. Scientifically illiterate and dangerous people still oppose sensible #PublicHealth policy.

jaimedavid327 Nov 10

The Mayor-Elect and the Illusion of Progressive Leadership

This is my personal opinion. Everything stated here is how I view things as a citizen, writer, and observer of politics. I do not support the mayor-elect, and I am skeptical of his promises, his policies, and the way he presents himself to the public. What follows is my perspective on the hypocrisy, contradictions, and dangers I see in his approach — not as an attack, but as a critique rooted in concern for New York City and the people who live here. From the beginning, there has been a […]

https://theinterfaithintrepidart.com/2025/11/10/the-mayor-elect-and-the-illusion-of-progressive-leadership/

Steve Dustcircle 🌹Nov 3

Strict #school #vaccinemandates work, and #parents don’t game the system − new research

https://theconversation.com/strict-school-vaccine-mandates-work-and-parents-dont-game-the-system-new-research-268558

Strict school vaccine mandates work, and parents don’t game the system − new research

When states prohibit parents from opting their kids out of vaccines for religious, philosophical or other nonmedical reasons, communities stay better protected against infectious diseases.

The Conversation