90.9 WBUR - Boston's NPR news station
Top Stories:
PLEDGE NOW
Here and Now with Robin Young
Public radio's live
midday news program
With sponsorship from
Mathworks - Accelerating the pace of engineering and science
Accelerating the pace
of engineering and science
Thursday, October 30, 2014

Can States Force People Into Quarantine?

Nurse Kaci Hickox leaves her home on a rural road in Fort Kent, Maine, to take a bike ride with her boyfriend Ted Wilbur, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014. The couple went on an hour-long ride followed by a Maine State Trooper. State officials are going to court to keep Hickox in quarantine for the remainder of the 21-day incubation period for Ebola that ends on Nov. 10. Police are monitoring her, but can't detain her without a court order signed by a judge. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)

Nurse Kaci Hickox leaves her home on a rural road in Fort Kent, Maine, to take a bike ride with her boyfriend Ted Wilbur, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014. The couple went on an hour-long ride followed by a Maine State Trooper. State officials are going to court to keep Hickox in quarantine for the remainder of the 21-day incubation period for Ebola that ends on Nov. 10. Police are monitoring her, but can’t detain her without a court order signed by a judge. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)

Kaci Hickox, the nurse who returned home to Maine after treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone, is refusing to comply with the state’s 21 day quarantine. Some are criticizing her for putting the public at risk, while others say she’s a champion of individual rights.

Professor Robert Gatter, co-director of St. Louis University’s Center for Health Law Studies tells Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson whether states can legally quarantine an individual, and what legal standing a person would have to challenge a forced isolation.

Guest


Please follow our community rules when engaging in comment discussion on this site.
Robin and Jeremy

Robin Young and Jeremy Hobson host Here & Now, a live two-hour production of NPR and WBUR Boston.

October 29 Comment

Reporter Crosses Into Syria To Tell Stories Of Fighters

Holly Williams of CBS discusses some of the people she's interviewed, including women soldiers on the frontlines.

October 29 6 Comments

How Far Have We Come Since The Financial Crisis?

Or are we already going backwards? We ask Michael Lewis, author of books including "Flash Boys" and "Liar's Poker."

October 28 Comment

Cooking With The Fruit Of Fall

Apples are abundant, but so are pears, pomegranates, persimmons and figs. Our resident chef shares six recipes.

October 28 2 Comments

The Mystery Of Michael Rockefeller’s Disappearance

A new book attempts to piece together what happened to the 23-year-old heir, who went missing in Dutch New Guinea in 1961.