Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, says the question about the quarantine of Kaci Hickox, who recently returned to the U.S. after treating patients suffering from Ebola in Sierra Leone, is a tough one.
'The libertarian in me is horrified at the idea of indefinitely detaining, or detaining anyone without a trial,' Paul told CNN's Candi Crowley in an interview that aired Sunday.
'One of the basic rights we inherited from the English and we got from common law was the right of habeas corpus, to present the body,' Paul said. 'If the king were detaining you in the Tower of London, or a governor or anybody who is detaining you, you have to have recourse to a lawyer.'
Hickox has yet to leave the Fort Kent property since a district judge decided the state could not restrict her movements or prevent her from going out in public.
'I think there is a reasonable public concern, saying you shouldn't be going to the discotheque, you shouldn't be going to the local bar, you shouldn't be going to the local school cafeteria,' Paul said. 'I think there are reasonable precautions.'
Paul also noted that the federal government should have stepped in to place travel restrictions on visas and those returning. He said that we should have a 'uniform way of accepting people back in the country.'
'We have to be careful of people's civil liberties,' said Paul. 'But I'm also not saying that the government doesn't have a role in trying to prevent contagion. So there are exceptions to things.'
Posted by Unknown on Sunday, November 2, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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