Mandatory Vaccinations: Yea or Nay?

Dr. Schreiber of San Augustine giving a typhoid innoculation at a rural school

Overview

In this three-part lesson students discuss the proper role of government in making public health decisions. In Part I, students discuss their prior knowledge of vaccinations and the purpose of vaccinations. In Part II, students assume the roles of members of Congress to determine if they will vote on a bill to require parents to vaccinate their children. Students will use primary sources to explore the issue, then will work in small groups to discuss both sides of the argument. Finally, students will state and support their vote for or against the bill. In Part III, students conduct independent research in order write their answer to the Essential Question.

Related Resources

Grade

High School

Subjects

Civics, Science

Length

80-100 minutes

Topics

Mandatory Vaccinations, compulsory vaccinations, congress, health, immunizations, law, legislation, public health, public policy, vaccinations

Author

Citizen U CRF

More Lessons

Outbreak – A World Wide Health Crisis

By Cheryl Davis

Motor Vehicle Safety

By Primary Source Nexus

TB or Not TB: Disease Prevention

By Citizen U

Vaccinations, Science, and the Law

By Citizen U CRF

Snap a Photo: Agent of Change

By KidCitizen

U.S. Constitution: Continuity and Change in the Governing of the United States

By Teaching with the Library of Congress

Faction and Democracy

By Democracy Project

Voting: Rights and Responsibilities

By Citizen U CRF

Pandemic and Civic Virtue: The American Red Cross and the Influenza Pandemic of 1918

By Teaching with the Library of Congress

Congress and Child Labor

By KidCitizen

Covering Mental Health

By PBS NewsHour Extra

The New England Fishing Industry: Sea Changes in a Community

By Teaching with the Library of Congress

The Immigrant: Acquisition or Detriment?

By Primary Source Nexus

Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution.

By Tom Bober

You Can’t Always Get What You Want (But If You Lobby Sometimes, You Might Find, You Get What You Need)

By Democracy Project

Bonus Veterans

By Primary Source Nexus

Reservation Controversies

By Teaching with the Library of Congress

Welcome to Congress

By KidCitizen

All the Way to the Top

By Tom Bober