Florida Announces Plan to End All Vaccine Mandates
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has announced the state’s plan to eliminate all vaccine mandates, including those that currently require children to be vaccinated to attend public schools. During a press conference, Ladapo said, “Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery.” He emphasized the state’s shift toward “informed decisions,” adding, “Who am I to tell you what your child should put in [their] body?”
Governor Ron DeSantis backed the announcement and introduced the Florida Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, which he says will prioritize medical freedom, informed consent, and reducing “medical orthodoxy.” The commission, chaired by First Lady Casey DeSantis and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, aims to develop a broad legislative package to permanently roll back vaccine mandates and solidify Florida’s pandemic-era policies. “We’re getting government out of the way,” said Collins.
Critics, however, are sounding the alarm. Pediatricians, former CDC officials, and Democratic lawmakers warn the move could trigger outbreaks of preventable diseases like measles and polio. “The idea that children would be allowed to go to school unvaccinated is absolutely frightening,” said Dr. Richard Besser, former acting CDC director. The American Academy of Pediatrics added that Florida’s decision will “put children in public schools at higher risk for getting sick.”
Florida currently requires students to be vaccinated against diseases such as hepatitis B, DTaP, chickenpox, and polio. While Ladapo clarified that vaccines themselves aren’t being banned, health experts argue the lack of mandates removes critical safeguards. Meanwhile, California, Oregon, and Washington have formed a coalition to protect immunization guidelines based on established medical science, pushing back against what they call a politicized attack on public health.
