University of Pennsylvania professor Marci A. Hamilton discusses the recent measles and whooping cough deaths tied to declining vaccination rates and examines the role of federal officials, state lawmakers, and courts in enabling or preventing those outbreaks. Professor Hamilton argues that religious and philosophical exemptions to childhood vaccine mandates should be rolled back, that courts should reject claims equating them with medical exemptions, and that states should prioritize children’s public health over anti-vaccine and religious-liberty lobbying.

University of Pennsylvania professor Marci A. Hamilton calls on local, state, and federal officials to require COVID-19 vaccination in order to effectively address the acute health crisis the virus’s variants imminently pose. Professor Hamilton argues that we should treat those who refuse to get vaccinated, without sound medical reasons for doing so, the same way we treat drunk drivers: civilly and criminally liable.

Marci A. Hamilton, professor at the University of Pennsylvania and CEO of CHILD USA, calls for an end to legislative exemptions to mandatory childhood vaccinations, except those that are absolutely necessary. Hamilton explains why these exemptions undermine the public good and endanger children.

Marci Hamilton—professor at the University of Pennsylvania and CEO of CHILD USA—discusses the importance of vaccinating children and proposes two legal reforms needed to ensure children’s protection. Specifically, Hamilton proposes that states eliminate religious exemptions to mandatory vaccination and permit mature children to decide whether they get vaccinations.