Mark Navin Knihy

The book delves into the complex reasons behind the rising trend of vaccine refusal among parents, highlighting both epistemic and moral failures. It examines how some parents, valuing personal judgment over expert advice, can misinterpret crucial information about vaccines. Additionally, it contrasts the differing values of vaccine advocates and refusers regarding health and safety, noting that while advocates focus on low complication rates, refusers see vaccines as unnatural. The text also critiques the individualism in vaccine refusal that undermines communal health responsibilities.

This book traces the history, politics, and ethics of mandatory childhood vaccination policy in America, with close attention to recent legislative changes in California. California was the first US state to ban unvaccinated children from school in response to parents refusing vaccines. The new policy kick-started immunization rates, but also ignited polarizing debates about whether government should restrict people's liberty to promote public health. Other US states, and other countries, are watching California carefully: should they follow in its footsteps? Using original interviews with politicians, activists, technical experts, and civil society organization representatives, Mark C. Navin and Katie Attwell unpack the causes and consequences of cracking down on vaccine refusal in contemporary America.