Dorit Rubinstein Reiss – Professor of Law at the University of California Hastings College of the Law (San Francisco, CA) – is a frequent contributor to this and many other blogs, providing in-depth, and intellectually stimulating, articles about vaccines (generally, but sometimes moving to other areas of medicine), social policy and the law. Her articles usually unwind the complexities of legal issues with vaccinations and legal policies, such as mandatory vaccination and exemptions, with facts and citations.
Professor Reiss writes extensively in law journals about the social and legal policies of vaccination–she really is a well-published expert in this area of vaccine policy, and doesn’t stand on the pulpit with a veneer of Argument from Authority, but is actually an authority. Additionally, Reiss is also a member of the Parent Advisory Board of Voices for Vaccines, a parent-led organization that supports and advocates for on-time vaccination and the reduction of vaccine-preventable disease.
She was also one of the many contributors to the book, “Pseudoscience – The Conspiracy Against Science.”
Many bloggers and commenters on vaccine issues will link to one or more of her articles here as a primary source to counter an anti-vaccine claim. The purpose of this post is to give you a quick reference to find the right article to answer a question you might have.
Below is a list of articles that Dorit Rubinstein Reiss has written for this blog, organized into some arbitrary and somewhat broad categories for easy reference. This article will be updated as new articles from Professor Reiss are published here. We also may update and add categories as necessary.
Because she has written over 160 articles for this website, there is a vast amount of information about vaccines and the law, I have created a search engine that allows you to quickly find a specific article written by Professor Reiss on this website by using any keywords that you want. This should help speed up your search for just the right article that she has written.
Ad hominem attacks on Dorit Rubinstein Reiss
- The Hate Debate of the anti-vaccination cult – Actually, this article wasn’t written by Professor Reiss, but by me. It’s about the character and Ad hominem attacks, sometimes creepy and racist, on her. Despite the fact that her articles are intellectual and balanced, the only response from the anti-vaccine religion is hate speech.
Andrew Wakefield
- Refuting one of the tropes that Andrew Wakefield was wronged – Andrew Wakefield, gets his own category since his “science” has been found to be lacking, all the remains for him to try to use the law. In this article, Professor Reiss deconstructs the myth that because Wakefield’s partner had some charges dropped, that applies to Wakefield. It doesn’t.
- Andrew Wakefield keeps trying–another appeal – More Wakefield legal activities. He tries to sue a medical journal.
- Litigating as a “debate” tactic? Andrew Wakefield’s appeal denied – Wakefield tries to use the legal system to debate his views on vaccines. It doesn’t work.
- Andrew Wakefield – dishonest attempt at self-justification – Wakefield releases a video trying to justify his actions. He failed.
- Latest “act” from Andrew Wakefield – recycling 1986 anti-vaccine tropes – Wakefield makes a movie using ancient anti-vaccine misinformation.
Robert F Kennedy Jr
- RFK Jr vaccine beliefs – why experienced journalists don’t take him seriously – Kennedy misinforms people about vaccines.
- Robert F Kennedy Jr used Alan Dershowitz in anti-vaccine fake debate – RFK Jr takes on a non-scientist about vaccines and claims victory.
Vaccines and religion
- Religious Exemptions for Vaccination–Abuse and Reform – A review of how the so-called religious exemption to vaccines has been abused so that individuals can get exemptions to vaccinating their children, despite the fact that no mainstream religion is opposed to vaccines.
- Court upholds school policy denying religious exemptions to vaccines – Yes schools can deny religious exemptions in certain cases.
- Hobby Lobby and Religious Exemptions: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – The recent Supreme Court ruling called “Hobby Lobby” may have some unintended consequences for religion-based vaccine exemptions.
- Hospital employee vaccinations – employment discrimination and religion – An examination of a recent case where an employee was able to claim employment discrimination based on a religious exemption to vaccines. It may not be what it appears to be.
- Vaccines and religious exemptions – recent legal decision – The Supreme Court of the US has refused to review appeals of rulings by the City of New York Department of Education regarding unvaccinated children. Previous rulings that vaccines are safe and necessary for the common good stand.
- Religious exemption to vaccines – Indiana court rules against mother – Mother tries to use a religious vaccine exemption to avoid custody order to vaccinate her children.
- Michigan vaccine regulations – Court decides on religious exemptions – The decision reinforced the strong support our courts have provided states’ efforts to increase vaccines rates.
- Vaccines and Judaism – anti-vaxxer activists misusing religion – anti-vaxxers get it all wrong about Jewish religious theory about vaccines.
Vaccine law and policy
- Homeopathy, Honesty, and Consumer Protection – Homeopathic vaccines.
- Success and Failure of Anti-Vaccine Legislative Efforts, 1998-2012 – The good news and not-so-good news about various legislative efforts ongoing regarding vaccines.
- Recouping the costs of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases – Who might be legally liable for the costs of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks.
- Price v. HHS: Statutes of Limitations, Tolling, Vaccines and Autism – A complex legal decision that denied an appeal to a vaccine court refusal to compensate a so-called vaccine-injured victim.
- Anti-Vaccine Claims, Misrepresentation and Free Speech – Anti-vaccine claims and legal free speech protections. Another interesting review.
- Doctors’ liability, vaccines and autism – A refutation of some of the claims made by Ginger Taylor regarding vaccines, autism, and physicians’ liabilities.
- Anti-vaccine harassment – can you sue for libel? Can someone be attacked publicly by an anti-vaccine activist sue that person? Sure, maybe, probably not worth the trouble.
- CDC refuses to allow William Thompson to testify – as it should be – so-called CDC whistleblower was asked to testify in a vaccine-related lawsuit, but the agency says no.
- European court vaccine decision – a legal analysis – there’s a lot of confusion about a recent court ruling in Europe. This should clear it up.
- Florida vaccine laws – court says church school can ban unvaccinated kids – court ruling about how a church school can reject a religious vaccine exemption.
- Immunization mandates case law – UC Hastings project – Professor Reiss’ class put together a list of vaccination mandates across the USA.
- Informed consent, vaccines and package inserts – examining the facts – Professor Reiss examines how informed consent works with vaccines. And how package inserts aren’t necessarily useful.
- Healthcare worker flu vaccination – examining lawsuits about the vaccine – an examination of lawsuits regarding mandatory healthcare worker flu vaccines.
- Vaccine refusal by a healthcare worker – is it a disability? – a review of a recent case where a hospital terminated a healthcare worker for not receiving vaccinations. It’s more complicated than you can imagine.
- Vaccine exemptions and private schools – what are the facts? – Information about vaccine exemptions in private schools to cut through the myths and tropes.
- Flu vaccine lawsuit – a non-win, non-revelation regarding pregnant women – a lawsuit that has no supporting evidence that might put pregnant women at significant harm from the flu.
- Anti-vaccine liability – should they pay for the harm they cause? – Professor Reiss lays out a case about whether anti-vaccine activists should be liable for harm to others.
- Public health and vaccines commentaries – employment repercussions.
- Improving Vaccine Policy Making: A Dose of Reality – Dorit R Reiss and Paul A Offit. This is a preprint of a new peer-reviewed article that will be published soon.
- School vaccine mandates do not illegally discriminate – Prof. Dorit Reiss – a legal review of vaccine mandates.
- Forced vaccinations and public health law – Prof. Dorit Rubinstein Reiss – refuting anti-vaccine tropes about “forced vaccinations” with respect to public health law.
- Eve Switzer settles her libel suit against Oklahoma anti-vaccine activists – Anti-vaxxers lose.
Child custody
- Michigan mom jailed – not about vaccines, all about ignoring the court – an examination of the legal issues surrounding a Michigan mom who was jailed for contempt of court for not complying with an agreement to vaccinate her child.
- Child custody and vaccines – reviewing two disputes in Michigan – two cases in Michigan that deal with custody agreements and vaccines.
- Michigan court supports vaccines – finds in favor of child’s health – the court finds that a parent can vaccinate their child over the pseudoscientific objections of another parent.
- Lori Matheson refuses vaccines for child – Michigan court says no
Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash
National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
- Vaccine injury compensation and mitochondrial disorders – a review of a recent decision by the NVICP regarding whether there should be compensation for the claim that disorders related to mitochondrial disorders are caused by vaccines. They aren’t.
- The vaccine court – causation and administrative discretion – more information about how the NVICP really provides plaintiffs with avenues of appeal that gives them every opportunity to show that vaccines cause a specific injury.
- Vaccine injury compensation and autoimmune syndromes – a discussion of a recent decision by the NVICP regarding whether compensation is deserved for autoimmune syndromes being caused by vaccines. Again, they aren’t.
- NVICP compensates for a claim regarding the flu vaccine and Guillain-Barré Syndrome – as usual, it’s not what it seems.
- National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program – the rules and limitations. A comprehensive description of how the NVICP actually assists individuals who have valid claims about vaccine injuries.
- Vaccine injury compensation and autoimmune syndromes – Gardasil is not related to autoimmune disorders.
- Vaccine court jury – is there a constitutional right in NVICP cases? The answer is “not really.”
- Vaccines cause SIDS? Not supported by Boatmon vs HHS case – Sometimes the NVICP gets it wrong, and they did in this case.
- NVICP Mini-Omnibus Autism decision – vaccines still do not cause autism – The NVICP once again examines whether vaccines cause autism, and once again rejects the claims.
- NVICP Tarsell decision not proof of HPV vaccine-related mortality – just legal errors – the NVICP is not perfect, and here’s a case where even the Special Master thought the evidence didn’t support the claim. This is not evidence that the HPV vaccine causes anything but preventing cancer.
- Plus ça change – anti-vaccine activists revive the Hannah Poling case – another vain attempt to link vaccines to autism.
- NVICP SIDS vaccine decision overturned on appeal – the facts – once again, the NVICP does not support vaccines having a causal link to SIDS.
- Oliver vaccine injury case – Court denies the appeal of NVICP ruling – higher court supports the ruling that there was no linked to vaccines.
- Vaccines did not cause cancer in the son of Dr. Theresa Deisher – another NVICP ruling.
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
- February 2019 ACIP Meeting – the process for vaccine recommendations
- October 2019 ACIP meeting review – vaccine discussions, part 1
- October 2019 ACIP public comments – anti-vaccine complaints, part 2
- June 2020 ACIP meeting – meningococcal, influenza, COVID-19 vaccines
- ACIP COVID-19 vaccines meeting – summary of August 2020 discussions
Vaxxed
- Vaxxed producer Del Bigtree – not credible on vaccines – critiquing Bigtree’s vaccine claims.
- Vaxxed threatens Fiona O’Leary – Phillipe Diaz doubles down – Vaxxed distributor threatens a young Irish mother who is pointing out the misinformation in the fraudumentary. She’s getting help from strangers all over the world.
- Rachael Ross gets Vaxxed – that’s never good for a real doctor – celebrity doctor buys into Vaxxed nonsense and becomes anti-vaccine.
- Vaxxed distributor threatened Fiona O’Leary – they’re afraid of facts – well, if the facts and science don’t support your claims, threaten skeptics with lawsuits.
- Vaxxed misinformation – legal remedies for those harmed? – Wakefield and other participants who are behind the documentary, Vaxxed, could possibly be legally liable for harm to children of parents who are convinced by this film.
- Vaxxed emotional appeal – putting kids at risk – Are you going to see Vaxxed? Here’s a handout that you can give to fellow moviegoers to refute some of the misinformation being presented.
- Brian Hooker’s vaccine injury claim denied by NVICP – Dr. Hooker, one of the characters behind the “CDC whistleblower” conspiracy in the documentary, Vaxxed, had been motivated by his own personal story about vaccines and autism. He lost his case to prove that link.
- Andrew Wakefield tries to invent a story and fools Robert De Niro – Andrew Wakefield drags Robert De Niro into his field of reality.
- Del Bigtree vaccine safety complaints – HHS Vaccine Program responds – Bigtree sends a letter to complain about vaccines. He gets schooled.
Photo by Rezaul Karim on Unsplash
California vaccine mandates laws
Dr. Reiss has spent a lot of her personal time supporting California’s SB276 and SB277, which removed personal belief exemptions for vaccines, making full vaccination mandatory for school-aged children. She has also spent a lot of time watching the litigation surrounding SB277, so here is a list of her articles that discuss the law.
- California SB 277 vaccine legislation protects children – The California Senate has proposed legislation that will eliminate personal belief exemptions that will protect our children from the risk of disease a minority has been allowed to choose for the rest of us.
- The constitutionality of mandatory vaccinations – Professor Reiss replies to a letter from Robert F. Kennedy about the constitutionality of California’s SB 277 law which removes personal belief exemptions for children.
- SB 277 lawsuit – baseless anti-vaccine complaints – California’s SB 277, a law that restricts personal belief exemptions for vaccinations, is the subject of a lawsuit. This article was revised with more recent information, California SB277 lawsuit – updated, but still baseless.
- California SB277 lawsuit analysis – anything there? – Another lawsuit and temporary restraining order were filed. Professor Reiss looks over both the constitutionality and facts presented by the litigants.
- California SB277 vaccination law – litigation update – The lawsuits trying to stop the implementation of SB277 are an ongoing story. Here’s the first update.
- California SB277 vaccination law – litigation update – Anti-Vaccine groups are trying to block the implementation of SB277. We try to keep you updated on the activities.
- California’s SB277 mandatory vaccine law – preliminary injunction hearing – A review of the hearing to decide if SB277 should be temporarily blocked.
- Parental and children’s rights – vaccination mandates – California’s anti-SB 277 activist, Lauren Stephens, wants to pass a Parental Rights Amendment. But it will probably not affect SB 277 and may have some serious unintended consequences like harming children.
- Judge denies request for SB277 preliminary injunction – A Federal district judge determines that California’s SB277, which makes vaccinations of school-aged children mandatory, should not be enjoined from proceeding. A win for our side.
- The Whitlow lawsuit against SB277 was withdrawn – After the anti-vaccine plaintiffs couldn’t get the preliminary injunction, they gave up.
- California SB277 lawsuit – state’s demurrer to Buck v Smith sustained – The ongoing, and ultimately unsuccessful, legal attacks on SB277.
- Attacking SB277 with another lawsuit –Torrey-Love v. State of California – Another lawsuit against SB277. Will it ever stop?
- SB277 lawsuit ruling – suit from A Voice for Choice dismissed by court – Another SB277 lawsuit bites the dust.
- SB277 RICO lawsuit – Bad arguments and conspiracy theories rejected – And another SB277 lawsuit shows up, and there’s not much there.
- California SB277 lawsuit update – judge rejected Torrey-Love – Attempts to get rid of SB277 keep failing.
- SB277 appeal rejected by court – California’s vaccine mandate stands – Anti-vaxxers keep trying to stop SB277 and keep failing.
- Another SB277 lawsuit rejected – anti-vaccine Voice for Choice loses – And another anti-vaccine lawsuit against SB277 is rejected.
- Dr. Ron Kennedy loses appeal against providing records to medical board for vaccine exemptions.
- California SB276 – legislation to limit vaccine medical exemptions – UPDATED – strengthening vaccine mandates.
Photo by Anthony Garand on Unsplash
Colorado
- Colorado vaccine bill – Gov. Jared Polis signs SB163 into law – Colorado joins the list of states with stricter vaccine requirements.
Maine
- Maine Coalition for Vaccine Choice legislation–bad premises, bad law – Ginger Taylor tries to get Maine to change its vaccine requirements. Professor Reiss begs to differ.
- Maine anti-vaccine legislation appears again – flawed and misleading – Anti-vaxxers in Maine are trying to push their biased legislation to put children at risk of vaccine-preventable diseases. Hopefully, it’ll fail.
- Maine vaccine exemptions- non-medical exceptions eliminated for schools. Elimination of all personal belief exemptions to vaccinations was signed into law by Maine’s governor.
New York
- Flu vaccine mandate for daycare reinstated by New York court.
- Influenza vaccine mandate – court strikes down regulations – A New York City mandate for the flu vaccination was struck down. But the court gives important advice to resurrect the mandate.
- New York vaccine mandate – judge rejects anti-vaxxer challenge – court says that New York public health authorities can protect its children from measles.
- New York vaccine law does not violate IDEA – Update – no injunction.
- New York vaccine exemptions law – UPDATE – appeals court rejects stay.
- Legal challenges to stricter school vaccine mandates rejected by NY court – court rejects challenges to the laws restricting exemptions.
Vaccine mandates
- Immunization requirements neither discriminate nor segregate – Some claim that statutes abolishing exemptions from school immunization requirements – like SB277 in California – are discriminatory or lead to segregation. No, they don’t.
- Vaccine Informed Consent, Mandates and Liability – The state does have the right to mandate vaccines, and informed consent isn’t what libertarian anti-vaxxers think it is.
- Improving Immunization Rates: What Can the Law Do? – Potential tactics and strategies to change vaccine policy.
- Parents, Children, Loss of Custody and Immunization – Oddly, an anti-vaccine couple insisted that they still had the right to refuse vaccines for their children, even after they lost custody to the state. That this is an actual legal case is shocking to me, but Professor Reiss explains it.
- Health Care Workers, Flu Vaccines, and Work Place Discrimination and No faith–vaccines, religion, and healthcare workers – Healthcare workers and mandatory vaccine policy. And do hospitals have to provide religious exemptions?
- Natural News gets it all wrong about mandatory vaccinations–Part 2 – Natural News gets it wrong. Is anyone shocked?
- Yes, herd immunity works – the title says it all.
- The child’s best interest – vaccines and parental rights – a review of a recent court case involving divorced parents. One wanted to vaccinate and provided evidence of why he should. One wanted to avoid all vaccines and provided bad evidence about why she shouldn’t.
- Maryland private schools can exclude unvaccinated children – Professor Reiss reviews a recent ruling in Maryland that gives private schools and daycares the right to exclude unvaccinated children to protect other children from vaccine-preventable diseases. This is good news for those of us who want to protect the lives of children.
- Custody, parental rights and vaccines in Maine – A review of a Maine Supreme Court ruling that sides with the right of the state to vaccinate a child in the child’s best interest.
- Flu vaccination and health professional employment benefits – Although it may not be completely fair, a hospital can fire someone for not getting the flu vaccine, and potentially not pay any unemployment benefits.
- Healthcare worker flu vaccinations – fair accommodations – A review of the hospital’s obligations to healthcare workers who refuse flu vaccinations.
- Vaccinations and custody issues – An examination of a Michigan case where an unfit parent cannot decide to refuse vaccinations for her children.
- The EEOC and influenza vaccines – examining the facts – Hospital fires someone for not getting the flu vaccine.
- Vaccine mandates promote human rights by protecting children – Looking at the rights of children with respect to vaccines.
Vaccine safety
- Anti-vaccine ICAN settles with HHS – what does this mean for vaccines? Not exactly like the anti-vaccine claims about this lawsuit.
- Vaccination informed consent – more anti-vaccine rhetoric from ICAN – more anti-vaccine nonsense from ICAN, refuted point by point.
- Babies are safer in the Age of MMR Vaccine than Age of Measles – vaccines save lives.
- Vaccine adjuvants – another misguided FOIA request from ICAN – another failed attempt to try to show something about vaccines.
Photo by Christopher Boswell on Unsplash
HPV vaccine
- HPV vaccine and lupus – bad expert testimony in a lawsuit – Another lawsuit against Gardasil, based on a long-debunked claim.
- HPV vaccine consent case in New York – a review – Can teens get the HPV vaccine after sexual assault without parental consent? Some people think they shouldn’t.
Merck
- Merck, Mumps, Motions, Whistleblowers–the actual story – Debunking the oft-repeated trope that Merck lied about the efficacy of their mumps vaccine.
- Merck vaccine lawsuit – implausible narrative, bad law and facts – Once again, lacking real scientific evidence, go for the litigation.
- Merck shingles vaccine lawsuit – what are the facts? – It’s more complicated than what is pushed by the anti-vaccine forces.
Israel
- Israel vaccine law proposal – seeking balance to improve vaccination rates – a unique approach to increasing vaccine uptake in the country.
Italy
- Italian Court Blames Autism on Vaccine–Relies on an Unreliable Expert – An Italian court decides vaccines cause autism. Italian courts have done this before. They also tried to have geologists arrested for not predicting earthquakes.
- Italian MMR-Autism Decision Overturned – No, vaccines do not cause autism, and Italian courts decide to reverse an unscientific decision in a lower court.
- Vaccines. Autism, Italian Court of Cassation – they get it right – A couple of lower court decisions in Italy got big news in the anti-vaccine press. Unfortunately for these tropes, Italy’s highest court said vaccines and autism are unrelated.
Photo by Alexis Minchella on Unsplash
France
- The freedom to not vaccinate in France–a court case – No, courts cannot decide science.
Bob Sears
- Evidence that you’re anti-vaccine – Bob Sears’ personal attacks on Paul Offit–Professor Reiss takes issue with ad hominem personal attacks by Bob Sears against Dr. Paul Offit. Sears claims he’s not anti-vaccine, but still uses the same old hate-filled personal attacks on Dr. Offit that all of the anti-vaccine groups use.
- Dr Bob Sears medical license on probation resulting from his anti-vaccine views. Providing improper medical exemptions for vaccines gets him into trouble.
Yehuda Shoenfeld
- Israeli medical association calls out Yehuda Shoenfeld on vaccines – anti-vax “researcher” is critiqued.
General vaccine articles
- Child Pays Price for Anti-vaccine Misinformation – Anti-vaccine misinformation says that measles isn’t dangerous, but a child who died from a neurological complication of measles might indicate otherwise.
- Review of Trace Amounts – bad science and conspiracies – A critical review of the anti-vaccination movie, Trace Amounts.
- Debunking myths about vaccine testing and safety – A critical analysis of some of the false claims about the lack of vaccine testing.
- Worrying about my baby during flu season – Writing, as a mother, on her worries about the flu and her newborn son.
- Identifying who is anti-vaccine – A checklist to see who is really anti-vaccine, even when they say they aren’t.
- Selective vaccine exemptions – measles and schools – A critical analysis of a proposal to maintain the availability of personal exemptions to vaccines (along with their abuses) except for measles.
- Childhood vaccine effectiveness – easy to use table – Debunks the whole “vaccines aren’t effective” nonsense.
- Dr. Jim Meehan anti-vaccine rant – examining his claims – An anti-vaccine physician makes unsubstantiated claims about the vaccine. Per usual, it’s more of the same.
- Anti-vaccine slogan being pushed – close but no cigar – Anti-vaccine activists are pushing a meme about vaccine safety. It’s not even close to factual.
- Children’s book review – “Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor” for vaccine – a children’s book about going to the doctor and being brave. And getting a vaccine.
- Samoa vaccine story – tragedy abused by anti-vaccine websites – once again, a tragedy that probably has nothing to do with vaccines directly.
- Pro-vaccine commentary from Dorit Rubinstein Reiss – anti-vaxxers whine – a strong commentary about vaccines, and the anti-vaccine zealots lose their minds.
Vaccines and women’s issues
- Anti-vaccine activists attempt to conflate their beliefs with important women’s issues – Part 1 and Part 2.
Tragic stories, but not vaccine-related
- Nick Catone’s son dies tragically – blaming vaccines with no evidence – a child dies tragically of SIDS, and the parents blame vaccines despite a lack of temporal evidence.
- Jessica Ericzon death blamed on HPV vaccine with no evidence – another child dies tragically, and the parents blame a vaccine. Once again, there is no evidence that the sad death had anything to do with any vaccine.
- Evee Gayle Clobes – another tragedy incorrectly blamed on vaccines – mother tries to blame vaccines with no evidence supporting that claim.
- Nick Catone Facebook lawsuit – more questions than answers – The Catones keep pushing their narrative to blame vaccines.
- Catie Clobes – legal harassment from an anti-vaccine activist – Take 10 – Ms. Clobes tries a new tactic to shut down pro-science, pro-vaccine people.
Book review
- “Bad Advice” by Paul Offit – a book review.
- HPV vaccine fear-mongering in an anti-vax book – a critical review.
Other websites
- Law and Vaccines: List of Dorit Reiss’ Blog Posts and Articles – Professor Reiss maintains her own up-to-date list of articles she has written about vaccines, many of which are on other websites.
The Dorit Rubinstein Reiss search engine.
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Chief Executive Officer at SkepticalRaptor
Lifetime lover of science, especially biomedical research. Spent years in academics, business development, research, and traveling the world shilling for Big Pharma. I love sports, mostly college basketball and football, hockey, and baseball. I enjoy great food and intelligent conversation. And a delicious morning coffee!
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