Why oppose vaccines?
By 1801, one physician estimated, over 100,000 had been vaccinated in England. That same year, a Harvard professor brought the vaccine to the United States. By mid-century, governments on both side of the Atlantic passed compulsory vaccination laws for children to attend school. These laws created pushback from those who believed compulsory vaccination violated individual liberty (Willrich 35). The Connecticut Anti-Vaccination League formed around just this issue in 1902, and worked to repeal such laws in the state.
Other criticism came from religious authorities who believed it was God’s right to determine life or death, and from those weary of vaccines as a safe way to prevent disease. Drug manufacturers were not subject to regulation, and critics claimed the vaccines were watered down and ineffective. Using vaccines drawing on human carriers, some critics also worried that the vaccines could pass other diseases and create greater danger (Williams 241-249).