Map of life expectancy at birth from Global Education Project.

Thursday, March 03, 2022

Public health law

To those of us who work in the field of public health, the so-called "trucker" convoys heading to D.C. are totally ridiculous. The kinds of mandates the purport to be protesting are entirely a state, not a federal responsibility. The Supreme Court ruled in 1902 to Massachusetts could impose a vaccine mandate, based on the police power that pertains to the states. The federal government has no police power.


The federal government's powers in public health are actually quite limited. Since drugs are sold in interstate commerce, the FDA can regulate them. Federal funding for hospitals, health centers and state health departments can come with strings attached, up to a point. 


State actions to protect public health are limited by various constitutional provisions, including due process and non-discrimination principles. But the bottom line is, if you don't like mask mandates or vaccine mandates (which for the most part there aren't any) take it up with your state government, not D.C.

1 comment:

Don Quixote said...

In a land of such spotty critical thinking, listening skills or functional attention spans, why should true education become an obstacle to misguided expressions of frustration?

Who has the directions to the next irrational party?