Supreme Court rules vaccine makers protected from (state) lawsuits

[Sgent]

Source: Washington Post

Federal law protects pharmaceutical companies from lawsuits by parents who claim that vaccines harmed their children, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

The court ruled 6 to 2 that going before a special tribunal set up by Congress is the only way parents can be compensated for the negative side effects that in rare instances accompany vaccinations.

The majority said that Congress found such a system necessary to ensure that vaccines remain readily available, and that federal regulators are in the best position to decide whether vaccines are safe and properly designed.

The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 "reflects a sensible choice to leave complex epidemiological judgments about vaccine design to the FDA and the National Vaccine Program rather than juries," Justice Antonin Scalia wrote, referring to the Food and Drug Administration.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/22/AR2011022206008.html

[RC]

1. This is not a god thing.

It makes it easier to sweep things under the rug.
How about some laws protecting people for a change.

[truebrit71]

2. Any doubt as to who runs things now?

..I didn't think so..

[glinda]

3. The same FDA that allows poisons in petfoods and Monsanto to poison everything?

:scared: :scared: :scared:

[BuddhaGirl]

4. sick, sick, SICK!

:mad:

[Marblehead]

5. now isn't that special.

:puke:

[MicaelS]

6. OK, so let's say SCOTUS says it's OK to sue..THEN

A rash of lawsuits follow, and the vaccine makers say "Sorry, it's too expensive to make vaccines anymore, we quit." Then what is going to happen?