Public Health Concerns Justify Compulsory Immunization

Resolved: Public health concerns justify compulsory immunization I affirm, public health concerns justify compulsory immunization. The following definitions will be used for this case: Public health, defined as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals." By the Encyclopedia of Public Health, 2002 Concern is defined as a matter or subject that relates or appertains to some person or thing, an affair by the Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition 1989 Justify is defined as to make right, proper, or reasonable by the Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition 1989 Compulsory is defined as obligated, enforced, or compelled. Immunization is defined as administering antigenic material (a weakened form of the disease) into an individual for prevention and protection against a type of pathogen. The value premise in this case will be public health, as the resolution is focusing on the welfare of the public population in general and whether the government should protect it. The value criterion will be protecting public health, as the welfare of society is the basis for everything else. Contention I: Vaccinations extend the life expectancy of individuals. Vaccinations have been proved to be effective in protecting people from targeted diseases such as smallpox, polio, typhoid, and others. Since the introduction of vaccines against major diseases, a sharp decrease in reported cases of these contagious diseases was seen. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), smallpox has been estimated to be the cause of 300-500 million deaths in the 20th century; however the proliferation of the smallpox vaccine has successfully eradicated the disease as declared by the WHO in 1980; as for polio, 60,000 cases were reported alone in the United States in 1952, with more than 3,000 deaths. Since the widespread usage of the polio vaccine, polio was eradicated in the United States by 1979. These statistics show that vaccines have successfully reduced the number of cases of widespread diseases, and as a result life expectancy has increased. Evidence provided above show immunization has benefited humanity to a great extent, extending the life expectancy rate of the world population by approximately 20 years since 1900. The health of society as a whole would also increase, if more people vaccinated. When the life expectancy is prolonged, citizens live longer; this is obviously is a good thing, as l Contention II: Government is established so to protect the general welfare of society. The Constitution of the United States defines the responsibilities of the government as follows: "in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." The government of any given society is obligated to fulfill its duty to protect the general welfare of its citizens. Government is fundamentally established to protect social order, welfare as a whole. Citizens of an organized society are obligated to give up some personal freedom in exchange for the freedom of all. This concept, known as the Social Contract is an explicit agreement between the people and the government of a sovereignty. Citizens are entitled to certain individual rights, but not at the risk of the welfare of the population at whole. John Stuart Mill in his On Liberty states: The object of this Essay is to assert one very simple principle, as entitled to govern absolutely the dealings of society with the individual in the way of compulsion and control, whether the means used be physical force in the form of legal penalties, or the moral coercion of public opinion. That principle is, that the sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self-protection. That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not sufficient warrant. He cannot rightfully be compelled to do or forbear because it will be better for him to do so, because it will make him happier, because, in the opinion of others, to do so would be wise, or even right... The only part of the conduct of anyone, for which he is amenable to society, is that which concerns others. In the part which merely concerns himself, his independence is, of right, absolute. This concept of Social Contract is closely associated with the resolution; citizens give up part of their absolute individual freedom in exchange for the welfare and beneficiary of all participating citizens. Those who do not vaccinate against a dangerous disease are considered to be a threat to society; the individuals would be a potential host for the disease, and thus a threat to the general welfare of society. This has been justified by the following: In the Supreme Court case Jacobson v. commonwealth of Massachusetts The court has more than once recognized it is a fundamental principal that "persons and property are subjected to all kinds of restraints and burdens, in order to secure the general comfort, health, and prosperity of the State; of the perfect right of the legislature to do which no question ever was, or upon acknowledged general principles ever can be made, so far as natural persons are concerned."' (at 26)With this language, the Court stated the basic bargain of civilization: an individual must give up some personal freedom in exchange for the benefits of being in a civilized society. Jacobson sought to enjoy the benefit of his neighbors being vaccinated for smallpox without personally accepting the risks inherent in vaccination. The Court rejected Jacobson's claim which it viewed as an attempt to be a free-rider on society. Impact: The goal of any government is to protect its citizens from dangers, in this case from nature, in the form of disease. Thus a government is obligated to mandate vaccination, as it has been proven to be for the good of a society as a whole; to enforce vaccination laws, even by means of punishment if not followed. The resolution is questioning whether a government is allowed to force immunization upon its citizens under the circumstance of public health; in my case, compulsory immunization is justified.