The book is a case study of one of many complex and obscure tasks that government performs. * Choice * Highly recommend this book to anyone interested in contemporary vaccine hesitancy and refusal, and, more broadly, in questions about the intersection of science, law, and public policy in democratic societies. * Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences * Vaccine Court provides historical, political, and social context to our countrys unprecedented attempt to resolve the conflict between those certain of vaccine harms and the science that may or may not support their claims. In a compelling and sympathetic manner, Kirkland explores the murky netherworld between science, where truths are often determined by decades of study, and court, where truths are determined after a few weeks of testimony. -- Paul A. Offit, MD,author of Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All In her highly original and meticulously researched book, Anna Kirkland takes us into the little-known but highly contested federal court system responsible for not just compensating individuals and families injured by vaccines, but also adjudicating competing claims of risk, science, and expertise. Vaccine Court exposes the myriad ways law must simultaneously build consensus and create dissent. Skillfully presented with detailed analysis and compelling examples, this book is a powerful vindication of the state as imperfect, indispensable to efforts to ensure public health, and in dire need of new ways to create greater access and equity for all. -- Jennifer Reich,University of Denver Drawing on rich original data, Kirkland examines how the specialized vaccine court addresses enduring tensions between science and law, popular beliefs and expertise, and fair process and desired outcomes, and how the right to sue is both an inspiration and a constraint on social movements. Vaccine Court is timely, fascinating, and important. -- Charles Epp,The University of Kansas
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