Inducing Immunity?

Vaccine hesitancy and outright opposition to vaccination are widespread, and this book asks how governments should respond. Legal philosopher Roland Pierik and bioethicist Marcel Verweij look for ways to regulate collective immunization that are as democratic as possible, and they argue that immunization must be made mandatory. They frame the problem as a conflict between the government's responsibility to protect public health and citizens' basic right to freedom. Their answer draws on John Stuart Mill's harm principle, the idea that individuals should be free to act so long as they do not harm others. They argue that it gives strong grounds for coercive immunization policies. They cover both childhood immunization and vaccination programs aimed at adults, and they maintain that in any liberal democracy such a policy must first meet the principle of proportionality. That requirement leads to a detailed look at exemptions, the nature of coercion, and what vaccination programs should contain. The final part turns to freedom of speech, its importance and its scope, since the spread of misinformation has undermined confidence in vaccines. The book is an in-depth analysis in bioethics and legal philosophy. It is meant as a practical guide for health professionals, policymakers, and academics who want to improve immunization policy.