Discussion Questions

inSchool Vaccine Mandates

Written by The Editors of ProCon

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Nov 8, 2024 • Article History

Should states be allowed to mandate vaccines for school attendance? Why or why not?
Should states allow religious or philosophical exemptions to school vaccine mandates? Why or why not?
Should vaccines be required of certain adults? Consider workplaces such as hospitals and schools. Explain your answer.

Take Action

Consider the study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that correlates school vaccine mandates to higher rates of pediatric vaccine coverage overall.
Analyze the debate surrounding whether COVID-19 vaccines should be mandated at The Regulatory Review.
Explore states that have religious and philosophical exemptions from school vaccine mandates at the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? If so, how? List two to three ways. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the “other side of the issue” now helps you better argue your position.
Push for the position and policies you support by writing U.S. senators and representatives.

Sources

CDC, "School Vaccination Requirements, Exemptions and Web Links," cdc.gov, July 21, 2011
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, "All Timelines Overview," chop.edu (accessed July 30, 2014)
University of Massachusetts Medical School, "History of MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School," library.umassmed.edu (accessed July 30, 2014)
Daniel A. Salmon, "Mandatory Immunization Laws and the Role of Medical, Religious and Philosophical Exemptions," vaccinesafety.edu, Oct. 2003
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, "Government Regulation," chop.edu, Jan. 27, 2014
James G. Hodge, Jr. and Lawrence O. Gostin, "School Vaccination Requirements: Historical, Social, and Legal Perspectives as of February 15, 2002: A State of the Art Assessment of Law and Policy," publichealthlaw.net, Feb. 15, 2002
Robert M. Wolfe, "Anti-Vaccination Activists, Past and Present," British Medical Journal, Aug. 24, 2002
"Opposed to Vaccination," New York Times, Feb. 17, 1882
Congressional Research Service, "Mandatory Vaccinations: Precedent and Current Laws," fas.org, Jan. 18, 2005
NobelPrize.org, "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1901," nobelprize.org (accessed July 31, 2014)
Zucht v. King, United States Supreme Court, Nov. 13, 1922
College of Physicians of Philadelphia, "The History of Vaccines: Timelines, Diseases and Vaccines," historyofvaccines.org (accessed June 25, 2014)
CDC, "Reported Cases and Deaths from Vaccine Preventable Diseases, United States, 1950-2011," cdc.gov, Mar. 14, 2012
"National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 (42 USC 201)," Federal Register, Nov. 14, 1986
Stephen Engelberg, "Vaccine: Assessing Risks and Benefits," New York Times, Dec. 19, 1984
U.S. Court of Federal Claims Office of Special Masters, "Vaccine Program Background," uscfc.uscourts.gov (accessed Dec. 11, 2009)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program,” hrsa.gov (accessed Aug. 4, 2014)
Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, "About the VAERS Program," vaers.hhs.gov (accessed Aug. 4, 2014)
"Comprehensive Child Immunization Act of 1993," Federal Register, Nov. 4, 1993
Andrew Wakefield, et al., "RETRACTED: Illeal-Lymphoid-Nodular Hyperplasia, Non-Specific Colitis, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder in Children," thelancet.com, Feb. 1998
CNN Wire Staff, "Retracted Autism Study an ’Elaborate Fraud,’ British Journal Finds," cnn.com, Jan 5,
Simon H. Murch, et al., "Retraction of an Interpretation," thelancet.com, Mar. 6, 2004
Lancet Editors, "Retraction—Ileal-Lymphoid-Nodular Hyperplasia, Non-Specific Colitis, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder in Children," thelancet.com, Feb. 6, 2010
Fiona Goodlee, Jane Smith, and Harvey Marcovitch, "Wakefield’s Article Linking MMR Vaccine and Autism Was Fraudulent," bmj.com, Jan. 6, 2011
Maria Cheng, "Britain Bans Doctor Who Linked Autism to Vaccine," Associated Press, May 24, 2010
Centers for Disease Control (CDC), "Thimerosal in Vaccines: A Joint Statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Public Health Service," cdc.gov, July 9, 1999
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness, "Mercury in Medicine - Taking Unnecessary Risks," burton.house.gov, May 2003
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., "Deadly Immunity," drjaygordon.com, Feb. 24, 2005
U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, "Thimerosal and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Alleged Misconduct by Government Agencies and Private Entities," autismspeaks.org, Sep. 2007
Institute for Vaccine Safety, "Thimerosal Table," vaccinesafety.edu, Nov. 30, 2009
Cedillo v. Secretary of Health and Human Services, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Aug. 27, 2010
Bruesewitz v. Wyeth, United States Supreme Court, Feb. 22, 2011
Kathleen Stratton, et al., "Adverse Effects of Vaccines: Evidence and Causality," nap.edu, Aug. 25, 2011
Institute of Medicine (IOM), "Report Brief - Adverse Effects of Vaccines: Evidence and Causality," nap.edu, Aug. 25, 2011
V. Demicheli, et al., "Using the Combined Vaccine for Protection of Children Against Measles, Mumps, and Rubella," summaries.cochrane.org, Feb. 15, 2012
John Hinton, "Nearly 750 Local Students Who Lack Required Whooping Cough Vaccination Face Suspension," journalnow.com, Sep. 23, 2013
WLWT, "No School Recommended for Unvaccinated Kids," wlwt.com, Apr. 16, 2014
Amanda Marcotte, "A Great Ruling for Public Health and a Big Blow to the Anti-Vaccination Movement," slate.com, June 25, 2014
Dan Childs, "No School for You! Unvaccinated Students Shut Out," abcnews.go.com, Sep. 16, 2011
Benjamin Mueller, "Judge Upholds Policy Barring Unvaccinated Students during Illnesses," nytimes.com, June 22, 2014
41.Sydney Spiesel, "I’m a Pediatrician. Should I Treat All Kids, or Just the Vaccinated Ones?," slate.com, Mar. 17, 2014
Arthur L. Caplan, et al., "Free to Choose but Liable for the Consequences: Should Non-Vaccinators Be Penalized for the Harm They Do?," academia.edu, Fall 2012
American Academy of Pediatrics, "Vaccine Safety: The Facts," aap.org, 2008
Shot@Life, "The Solution: Vaccines," shotatlife.org (accessed June 4, 2014)
Bahar Gholipour, "Vaccination Has Saved 732,000 Children’s Lives Since 1994, Says Report," huffingtonpost.com, Apr. 25, 2014
Kelley King Heyworth, "Vaccines: The Reality behind the Debate," parents.com (accessed June 9, 2014)
FDA, "Thimerosal in Vaccines," fda.gov, Mar. 14, 2014
CDC, "Frequently Asked Questions about Vaccine Safety," cdc.gov, Feb. 27, 2014
CDC, "Possible Side-Effects from Vaccines," cdc.gov, Feb. 4, 2014
Nancy Shute, "Report: Vaccines Are Safe, Hazards Few and Far Between," npr.org, Aug. 25, 2011
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "Safety," vaccines.gov (accessed June 5, 2014)
Matthew Herper, "Dear Jenny McCarthy, Here’s How Many Lives Could Be Saved Cheaply by Making Vaccines More Widely Available," forbes.com, Apr. 16, 2014
WHO, "Vaccine Position Papers," who.int (accessed June 5, 2014)
Public Health Agency of Canada, "Vaccine Safety: Frequently Asked Questions," phac-aspc.gc.ca, Apr. 28, 2014
Canadian Paediatric Society, "Vaccine Safety," caringforkids.cps.ca, Nov. 2013
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, "Top Reasons to Get Vaccinated," nfid.org (accessed June 5, 2014)
American Medical Association, "AMA Encourages Community-Clinical Partnerships to Increase Use of Preventative Health Services among Boomers," ama-assn.org, Nov. 19, 2009
American Academy of Family Physicians, "Confusion, Safety Concerns Contribute to Low Seasonal Flu Vaccine Coverage among Pregnant Women," aafp.org, Aug. 4, 2009
WHO, "What Are Some of the Myths – and Facts – about Vaccination?," who.int, Apr. 2013
Kathleen Dohenny, "Expert Q&A: Childhood Vaccine Safety," webmd.com (accessed June 4, 2014)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "Community Immunity (’Herd Immunity’)," vaccines.gov (accessed June 5, 2014)
Steven L. Weinreb, "For the Herd’s Sake, Vaccinate," nytimes.com, Dec. 27, 2011
David E. Sugerman, et al., "Measles Outbreak in a Highly Vaccinated Population, San Diego, 2008: Role of the Intentionally Undervaccinated," Pediatrics, Apr. 1, 2010
Mark Fishetti, "Too Many Children Go Unvaccinated," scientificamerican.com, May 14, 2013
Gardiner Harris, "5 Cases of Polio in Amish Group Raises New Fears," nytimes.com, Nov. 8, 2005
Steven F. Hirsch, "Protecting the ’Herd’: Why Vaccinations Still Matter," washingtonparent.com, Aug. 2007
CDC, "Five Important Reasons to Vaccinate Your Child," cdc.gov, Apr. 8, 2011
Michael Smith, "How Long Should Children Stay out of School after H1N1 Flu?," kevinmd.com, Nov. 4, 2009
CDC, "CDC Study: Treating Children’s Flu Illness Costly," cdc.gov, May 21, 2012
North Dakota Department of Health, "What Do I Need to Know? Rotavirus," ndhealth.gov, Feb. 2006
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "The Affordable Care Act and Immunization," hhs.gov, Jan. 20, 2012
CDC, "About Rubella," cdc.gov, Apr. 29, 2011
College of Physicians of Philadelphia, "1941: Rubella Implicated in Congenital Defects," historyofvaccines.org (accessed June 6, 2014)
CDC, "Smallpox Disease Overview," cdc.gov, Dec. 30, 2004
Walter Orenstein, "Opening Session: An Overview of Vaccinology," nfid.org, Nov. 15-17, 2013
CDC, "Vaccine-Preventable Childhood Diseases," cdc.gov, Feb. 25, 2012
Polio Global Eradication Initiative, "Polio This Week as of 4 June 2014," polioeradication.org, June 4, 2014
CNN Staff, "Ohio Measles Outbreak Continues to Grow," cnn.com, June 5, 2014
CDC, "Measles," cdc.gov, June 10, 2014
David Satcher, "Statement on Risk vs Benefit of Vaccinations by David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D.," hhs.gov, Aug 3, 1999
Mark Wilson, "How Just 3 Vaccines Can Save Us $63 Billion [Infographic]," fastcodesign.com, June 14, 2012
Joseph M. Mercola, "Vaccines Have Serious Side Effects – The Institute of Medicine Says So!," mercola.com, Sep. 27, 2011
National Vaccine Information Center, "Autism," nvic.org (accessed June 11, 2014)
Robert W. Sears, "New Study Shows Possible Link between Environmental Mercury and Autism – What about Vaccine Mercury?," askdrsears.com (accessed June 11, 2014)
Robert W. Sears, "Vaccine FAQS: Aluminum Information from The Vaccine Book," askdrsears.com (accessed June 11, 2014)
VaxTruth, "Vaccine Ingredients – A Comprehensive Guide," vaxtruth.org, Aug. 15, 2011
CDC, "Ingredients of Vaccines – Fact Sheet," cdc.gov. Feb. 22, 2011
Jospeph M. Mercola, "MSG: Is This Silent Killer Lurking in Your Kitchen Cabinets," mercola.com, Apr. 21, 2009
National Vaccine Information Center, "Barbara Speaks Out!," nvic.org (accessed June 11, 2014)
Ron Paul, "Government Vaccines—Bad Policy, Bad Medicine," vaccinationcouncil.org, Dec. 10, 2002
Cornell University Law School Legal Information Institute, "First Amendment," law.cornell.edu (accessed June 11, 2014)
Oyez, "Cantwell v. State of Connecticut," oyez.org (accessed June 11, 2014)
Mahesh Vidula, "Individual Rights vs. Public Health: The Vaccination Debate," mit.edu (accessed June 11, 2014)
Olivia K. Wenger, et al., "Underimmunization in Ohio’s Amish: Parental Fears Are a Greater Obstacle Than Access to Care," pediatrics.aapublications.org, June 27, 2011
Fraternitas Rosae Crucis, "The Church of Illumination: Tenet on Vaccination and Immunization," soul.org, 2013
Universal Family Church, "FAQ," universalfamilychurch.org (accessed June 11, 2014)
Vatican, "Moral Reflections on Vaccines Prepared from Cells Derived from Aborted Human Foetuses," cogforlife.org, June 9, 2005
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, "General Vaccine Safety Concerns," chop.edu, Apr. 2013
Mayo Clinic, "Childhood Vaccines: Tough Questions, Straight Answers," mayoclinic.org, May 8, 2013
Kurt Perkins, "Dr. Kurt: Why I Will Never Choose to Vaccinate My Own Son and Any Future Kids My Wife and I Have," healthimpactnews.com, June 12, 2014
A Shot of Truth, "Congressman Bill Posey Speaks on the Need for Openness and Transparency within the CDC on Issues of Vaccine Safety," ashotoftruth.org, Apr. 8, 2014
Institutes of Medicine, "Julie Gerberding," iom.edu (accessed Aug. 7, 2014)
Gregory Poland, "Vaccines against Lyme Disease: What Happened and What Lessons Can We Learn?," cid.oxfordjournals.org, Feb. 1, 2011
L. Simonsen, et al, "More on Rotashield and Intussusception: The Role of Age at the Time of Vaccination," Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2005
CDC, "Keeping the U.S. Polio-Free," cdc.gov, Mar. 19, 2014
KidsHealth.org, "Chickenpox," kidshealth.org, Sep. 2012
CDC, "Measles Overview," cdc.gov, June 3, 2014
KidsHealth.org, "Measles," kidshealth.org, Oct. 2011
KidsHealth.org, "About Rubella," kidshealth.org, July 2012
CDC, "About Rotavirus: Symptoms," cdc.gov, May 12, 2014
WebMD, "Rotavirus – Topic Overview," webmd.com, July 9, 2012
Salon.com, "Correcting our Record," salon.com, Jan. 16, 2011
Sanjay Gupta, "Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Vaccines Are a Matter of Fact," edition.cnn.com, Feb. 5, 2015
Bharathi S. Gadad, "Administration of Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines to Infant Rhesus Macaques Does Not Result in Autism-Like Behavior," pnas.org, Oct. 6, 2015
Melissa Healy, "Old-School and Current Vaccines Have No Link to Autism (again), Study Says," latimes.com, Sep. 28, 2015
Maggie Fox, "Measles Has Been Eliminated in the Americas, WHO Says," nbcnews.com, Sep. 27, 2016
Michelle Goldstein, "10 Reasons Not to Vaccinate," vactruth.com, Dec. 12, 2014
Pan American Health Organization, "Americas Region Declared the World’s First to Eliminate Rubella," paho.org, Apr. 29, 2015
History of Vaccines, "Disease Eradication," historyofvaccines.org, Jan. 25, 2016
History of Vaccines, "History of Polio (Poliomyelitis)," historyofvaccines.org, Mar. 10, 2016
CDC, "Instant Childhood Immunization Schedule," cdc.gov, Feb. 1, 2016
1nders Hviid, et al., "Measles, Mumps, Rubella Vaccination and Autism: A Nationwide Cohort Study," annals.org, Mar. 5, 2019
Wayne Drash, "Measles Quarantine Issued at Two California Universities," cnn.com, Apr. 28, 2019
CDC, "About Pertussis Outbreaks," cdc.gov, Aug. 7, 2017
Megan Henry, "The Cost of This Century’s Worst Measles Outbreak," foxbusiness.com, Apr. 27, 2019
Nathaniel Weixel, "Measles Outbreak Spreads to 24 States," thehill.com, May 20, 2019
WHO, "Global Wild Poliovirus 2014 - 2019," polioeradication.org, May 14, 2019
CDC, "NIIW (National Infant Immunization Week)," cdc.gov, Feb. 13, 2019
CDC, "Pink Book Appendix E: Reported Cases and Deaths from Vaccine Preventable Diseases, United States," cdc.gov, Mar. 2018
Manisha Patel, et al., "Increase in Measles Cases - United States, January 1 - April 26, 2019," cdc.gov, May 3, 2019
CDC, "Measles Cases and Outbreaks," cdc.gov, May 20, 2019
WHO, "Measles and Rubella Surveillance Data," who.int, May 13, 2019
Noam Tau, Dafna Yahav, and Daniel Shepshelovich, "Postmarketing Safety of Vaccines Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration," acpjournals.org, July 28, 2020
Deidre McPhillips, "COVID-19 Vaccines Will Be on the 2023 Vaccine Schedule, but That Doesn’t Mean They’re Required in Schools," cnn.com, Oct. 20, 2022
National Academy for State Health Policy, "States Address School Vaccine Mandates and Mask Mandates," nashp.org, Oct. 3, 2022
CDC, "ACIP Immunization Schedule Vote," cdc.gov, Oct. 20, 2022
CDC, Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines," cdc.gov, Oct. 20, 2022
CDC, "Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccines," cdc.gov, Oct. 19, 2022
Shixin (Cindy) Shen and Vinita Dubey, “Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy: Clinical Guidance for Primary Care Physicians Working with Parents,” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, Mar. 2019
World Health Organization, “Poliomyelitis (Polio),” who.int (accessed Feb. 17, 2023)
Martha Hostetter and Sarah Klein, “Understanding and Ameliorating Medical Mistrust among Black Americans,” commonwealthfund.org, Jan. 14, 2021
Shabab Ahmed Mirza and Caitlin Rooney, “Discrimination Prevents LGBTQ People from Accessing Health Care,” americanprogress.org, Jan. 18, 2018
B. Ashleigh Guadagnolo, “Medical Mistrust and Less Satisfaction with Health Care among Native Americans Presenting for Cancer Treatment,” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, Apr. 6, 2009
Eric Whitney, “Native Americans Feel Invisible in U.S. Health Care System,” npr.org, Dec. 12, 2017
Katrina Armstrong, et al., “Racial/Ethnic Differences in Physician Distrust in the United States,” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, July 2007
Brian K. Lee, Herd Immunity, eb.com, Jan. 13, 2023
Jeffrey M. Jones, "Far Fewer in U.S. Regard Childhood Vaccinations as Important," news.gallup.com, Aug. 7, 2024
Acumedia Manufacturers, “Mueller Hinton Agar (7101),” neogen.com, June 2011
Atlanta Biologicals, “Earle’s Balanced Salt Solution (EBSS),” atlantabio.com, 2010
CDC, “Basics and Common Questions: Ingredients of Vaccines – Fact Sheet,” cdc.gov, Feb. 22, 2011
FDA, “Vaccines Licensed for Immunization and Distribution in the US with Supporting Documents,” fda.gov, Aug. 29, 2016
Health Protection Agency, “General Cell Collection: MDCK,” hpacultures.org.uk, 2011
G.M. Healy, et al, “Improved Chemically Defined Basal Medium (CMRL-1969) for Primary Monkey Kidney and Human Diploid Cells,” Applied and Environmental Microbiology, aem.asm.org, 1971
International Serum Industry Association, “FAQ,” serumindustry.org/faq, 2013
Pontifical Academy for Life, “Moral Reflections on Vaccines Prepared from Cells Derived from Aborted Human Foetuses,” immunize.org/concerns/vaticandocument.htm, June 9, 2005
Rebecca Sheets, “History and Characterization of the Vero Cell Line,” da.gov, May 12, 2000
Sigma-Aldrich, “DMEM,” sigmaaldrich.com, 2013
Alison Weiss, “The Genus Bordetella,” The Prokaryotes: A Handbook on the Biology of Bacteria, Ed. Martin M. Dworkin, et al, 2006.
World Health Organization, “Production and Control of Tetanus Vaccine: A Training Curriculum, Module III: Principles of Tetanus Vaccine Production,” who.int, Sep. 3, 1999
CDC, “Diphtheria: Causes and Transmission,” cdc.gov, May 13, 2013
CDC, “Diphtheria Vaccination,” cdc.gov, May 10, 2013
CDC, “Tetanus: Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, The Pink Book: Course Textbook – 12th Edition Second Printing (May 2012),” cdc.gov, July 7, 2014
CDC, “Tetanus (Lockjaw) Vaccination,” cdc.gov, Feb. 7, 2013
CDC, “Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Vaccination,” cdc.gov, July 29, 2014
College of Physicians of Philadelphia, “The History of Vaccines: Timelines, Diseases and Vaccines,” historyofvaccines.org (accessed June 25, 2014)
CDC, “Reported Cases and Deaths from Vaccine Preventable Diseases, United States, 1950-2013,” cdc.gov, Sep. 2014
CDC, “U.S. Vaccination Coverage Reported via NIS,” cdc.gov, Mar. 11, 2014
Hepatitis B Foundation, “Hepatitis B Vaccine History,” hepb.org, Oct. 21, 2009
CDC, “Hepatitis B,” cdc.gov, Mar. 10, 2013
CDC, “About Haemophilus Influenza Disease,” cdc.gov, Sep. 25, 2012
National Vaccine Information Center, “Haemophilus Influenza Type B Vaccine (HIB),” nvic.org (accessed July 24, 2014)
CDC, “Measles (Rubeola),” cdc.gov, Aug. 1, 2014
CDC, “Mumps: Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, The Pink Book: Course Textbook – 12th Edition Second Printing (May 2012),” cdc.gov, July 7, 2014
CDC, “Overview of Mumps,” cdc.gov, Mar. 14, 2010
CDC, “Rubella – Fact Sheet for Parents,” cdc.gov, July 8, 2013
National Network for Immunization Information, “Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR),” immunizationinfo.org, Apr. 22, 2010
CDC, “What Is Polio?,” cdc.gov, Sep. 3, 2013
Post-Polio Health International, “Incidence Rates of Poliomyelitis in US,” post-polio.org (accessed July 18, 2014)
WHO, “Immunization: Polio (Pol 3): Data by Country,” who.int (accessed July 18, 2014)
CDC, “Chickenpox (Varicella): Overview,” cdc.gov, Nov. 16, 2011