Florida to Phase Out Childhood Vaccine Mandates
Florida is set to eliminate all vaccine mandates for children as Republican Governor Ron DeSantis takes steps to roll back vaccine requirements and other health mandates that were established during the Covid-19 pandemic.
On Wednesday, DeSantis also introduced a new state-level initiative called the “Make America Healthy” committee, which mirrors a similar effort at the federal level spearheaded by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo criticized current regulations as an “immoral” infringement on parental rights, comparing it to “slavery.” He emphasized the importance of individual decision-making regarding health, saying, “They don’t have the right to tell you what to put in your body. Take that from them.”
While Ladapo mentioned that the state could revoke some existing health mandates, he noted that others would require legislative action. He insisted that the goal is to “finish all of them,” although he did not specify any particular vaccines.
Florida is poised to become the first state to abolish a host of vaccine requirements, according to Ladapo. Currently, mandates for children in day care and public schools include vaccinations for diseases like measles, chicken pox, hepatitis B, and more, as outlined on the state health department’s website.
Throughout DeSantis’s tenure, Florida has resisted imposing Covid-19 vaccine mandates for school children, instead focusing on limiting government intervention in health-related matters.
“I don’t think there’s a different state that’s going on as much as Florida. We want to go ahead of the curve,” the governor stated.
The new “Make America Healthy” committee will explore various health-related topics, including informed consent for medical procedures, promoting nutritious foods, enhancing parental rights regarding children’s medical decisions, and challenging unverified medical practices. It will be led by Lt. Col. Jay Collins and First Lady Casey DeSantis.
Collins asserted, “We’re going to keep the government out of the way and we’re going to drive it out of your life.”
Ultimately, the committee’s efforts will inform a larger “health-freedom package” aimed at reforming the required vaccine mandates under state law and limiting recent governmental health decisions, Desantis remarked.
He added, “There’s going to be a wide range of packages.”
