Twila Brase

In 2001, following the September 11 terrorist attacks, many states debated changes in their public-health laws. In the following viewpoint, Twila Brase argues that many of the reforms debated and in some cases enacted endanger the American public by giving too much power to government and public-health officials, including the power to isolate and quarantine individuals without due process. In addition to the loss of individual liberties, Brase contends that a “commandand-control” approach to public health would alienate the American people and would be ineffective in the event of a biological war or terrorist incident. Brase is president of the Citizens’ Council on Health Care, a free-market health-care policy organization based in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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