Child Vaccine Mandates – The Constitutional Law

Vaccines have saved millions of lives since their first use to treat smallpox over 200 years ago, but mandatory vaccinations for American children has become increasingly contentious after outbreaks of measles in recent years. In this interview, we explore the law governing how and to what extent the state or federal government can require vaccinations for children attending schools. TalksOnLaw founder, Joel Cohen, is joined by vaccine law scholar Professor Dorit Reiss of UC Hastings Law to discuss vaccine mandate laws and the rights of children and parents. What are the rules around school vaccine exemptions based on health, religion and philosophical beliefs and how do they differ state by state? Prof Reiss explores whether the COVID-19 vaccine is likely to be added to school mandates (she suggests it will not) and offers strategies for a more effective vaccine policy. Dorit Reiss is a professor of law at UC Hastings Law in San Francisco. She writes about school mandates, policy responses to non-vaccinating, tort issues and administrative issues related to vaccines. ► Visit http://www.talksonlaw.com for more legal explainers and interviews with the titans of law. ► Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/talksonlaw ► Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/talksonlaw ► Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/talksonlaw ____________________