(This letter was sent by Congressman
Ron Paul to
Tommy Thompson, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human
Services, in
response to announcements that the administration plans mandatory
smallpox
vaccines for approximately one million soldiers and frontline medical
providers)
2002 Ron Paul 104:1
Dear Secretary Thompson:
Please provide answers to the following
questions regarding the administration’s smallpox vaccination policy:
2002 Ron Paul 104:2
1. Does the administration believe it has the
legal authority to institute a mandatory vaccine program for any group
of Americans?
2002 Ron Paul 104:3
2. If the answer to question one is yes, would
the administration consider implementing a mandatory vaccine program
for first responders, if the current voluntary program does not produce what the
administration considers a sufficient number of vaccinated first
responders to handle a smallpox emergency?
2002 Ron Paul 104:4
3. Are those who voluntarily receive the
smallpox vaccine eligible for compensation from the National Vaccine
Compensation Fund?
2002 Ron Paul 104:5
4. Are individuals who are injured by
inadvertent exposure to the smallpox vaccine because of contact with a
vaccinated person eligible for compensation from the National Vaccine
Compensation Fund?
2002 Ron Paul 104:6
5. Have any states made plans to mandate
smallpox vaccines as part of their bioterrorism defense plan?
2002 Ron Paul 104:7
6. Does the administration support the
provisions in the Model Emergency Health Powers Act, which were drafted
with the assistance of the Center for Disease Control, which appear to grant
individual governors the ability to implement a mandatory smallpox vaccine program?
2002 Ron Paul 104:8
7. If the answer to questions 5 or 6
is yes, how will the administration support and/or assist a governor who has
decided to implement a mandatory smallpox vaccination plan?
