In 1840, the British government passed the Vaccination Act that provided free vaccinations for the poor and outlawed ‘inoculation,’ which at that time meant ‘variolation,’ inoculation of smallpox material.

Before the smallpox vaccine had been developed, it was reported that about 4,000 people died from that disease each year in London alone. Almost immediately anti-vaccination leagues challenged the law as a violation of civil liberty.

In 1898 the vaccination law was amended to allow exemption for parents, based on conscience, which introduced the concept of “conscientious objector” into English law.