Jacobson v. Massachusetts (1905): Supreme Court Cases | Academy 4 Social Change

Описание: In Massachusetts, state law allowed for cities to require smallpox vaccinations. The city of Cambridge adopted a smallpox vaccination mandate, with some exceptions. However, Henning Jacobson, a Cambridge minister, refused to be vaccinated. Jacobson claimed he had adverse reactions to previous vaccinations. Jacobson was fined the equivalent of nearly one hundred and fifty dollars today. Jacobson and his lawyer argued that the vaccination mandate violated his Fourteenth Amendment rights to liberty. The Fourteenth Amendment’s text states that no state “shall… deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of laws.” The Supreme Court was asked to decide if Cambridge’s vaccination mandate violated Jacobson’s Fourteenth Amendment rights in the Jacobson v. Massachusetts case.

**Find a transcript, lesson plans, worksheets, and more at: https://academy4sc.org/topic/jacobson...

**Think Further Questions:
1. What do you think of the four standards for mandatory vaccines set in Jacobson? Should they still stand today? Are they straightforward to implement?
2. What are the current controversies regarding public health officials and individual rights? Do you think Harlan’s use of the social-compact theory applies?
3. What kind of exceptions should there be for vaccination mandates, if any?

**Contents
00:00 - Case
01:30 - Decision
02:37 - Dissent
02:46 - Impact

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