Florida Proposes Ending All Childhood Vaccine Mandates
Florida is poised to become the first U.S. state to eliminate all vaccination requirements for children attending public schools. At a press event in Valrico, near Tampa, Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo declared that every vaccine mandate, including those for measles, polio, hepatitis B, and chickenpox, will be repealed.
Ladapo framed the policy shift as a fight for “parental choice” and “bodily autonomy,” going as far as likening vaccine mandates to “slavery.” He emphasized that while vaccines wouldn’t be banned, they would become a matter of family decision-making, not state enforcement.
Governor Ron DeSantis, who joined Ladapo at the announcement, reiterated support for medical freedom and parental rights. He also unveiled the “Florida Make America Healthy Again” commission—an initiative aimed at rolling back COVID-era restrictions and aligning state policy with broader conservative health agendas.
Public Health Concerns
The move has sparked immediate backlash from medical and public health authorities. The American Medical Association strongly condemned the plan, warning it could reverse decades of progress and expose children and communities to preventable diseases like measles, mumps, and polio. The American Academy of Pediatrics echoed those concerns, calling the proposal a serious public health risk.
Experts fear that the policy could lead to outbreaks in Florida and beyond—especially given the state’s status as a major tourist hub. Several officials warned that the rollback may create new pathways for disease to spread to vulnerable populations.
Reuters reports that vaccination rates among kindergarteners for diseases such as measles, diphtheria, and polio have already declined during the 2024–25 school year. That trend, combined with the highest number of confirmed measles cases since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, adds urgency to the concerns.
Next Steps
While Ladapo’s department can begin rolling back certain mandates immediately, eliminating all childhood vaccine requirements will require action from the Republican-controlled state legislature, which reconvenes in January.
Should the repeal take effect, Florida would set a constitutional and political precedent, marking a radical departure from national norms where all states currently require vaccinations for public school attendance—with exemptions varying by state.
As Florida embarks on this controversial path, states like California, Oregon, and Washington have formed a “West Coast Health Alliance” to uphold evidence-based immunization practices, signaling stark regional divisions in how the U.S. addresses vaccine policy.
Florida Proposes Ending All Childhood Vaccine Mandates was originally published on rnbphilly.com
