From the CRS, The Ebola Outbreak: Select Legal Issues; 2 page brief.

From SARS to Ebola: Legal and Ethical Considerations for Modern Quarantine, by Mark A. Rothstein. University of Louisville – Institute for Bioethics, Health Policy, and Law; University of Louisville – Louis D. Brandeis School of Law. Indiana Health Law Review, vol.12, no.1, 2015 Forthcoming. Full paper, which is available for download, is 44 pp. Abstract follows:

Quarantine remains an important part of the strategy for containing infectious diseases, especially when there is no vaccine or effective treatment. Recent experiences with SARS and Ebola indicate that large-scale quarantine is fraught with ethical challenges. In the United States, legislation authorizing quarantine has been enacted in every state, and these laws have been upheld by the Supreme Court. The following ethical principles should guide public health officials in deciding whether and how to impose a quarantine: (1) necessity, effectiveness, and scientific rationale; (2) proportionality and least infringement; (3) humane supportive services; and (4) public justification.