Opinion: Gottlieb’s threat of federal vaccine mandates: questionable legality, poor policy

As six outbreaks of measles raged in different parts of the country, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb recently told reporters that the failure of some states to narrow vaccine exemptions was “going to force the hand of the federal health agencies.” Without offering many details, Gottlieb added that the federal government “could mandate certain rules about what is and isn’t permissible when it comes to allowing people to have exemptions.”

As someone who has researched and written about public health law, including vaccine mandates, for more than 30 years, I appreciate the sentiments behind Gottlieb’s comments. Vaccines have saved innumerable lives,