The court upheld the authority of states to enforce compulsory vaccination on the grounds that, when danger loomed, an individual’s freedom could be subordinated to the common good. During a smallpox outbreak, he refused to let himself or his son be vaccinated and was fined $5. Massachusetts was then one of 11 states with compulsory vaccination laws, but it did not allow vaccination by force. By a 7-to-2 vote, the court let the fine stand and said imprisonment could also have been imposed. A measles outbreak that year infected over 1,400 people and killed several children.

Source: New York Times April 10, 2019 00:38 UTC