Florida’s surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, announced on Wednesday that Florida plans to end all state vaccine mandates, including for students to attend school, despite warnings from public health experts that this kind of mandate could trigger severe outbreaks among children, tourists, and those with compromised immune systems. Ladapo, along with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, cast the issue of vaccination as one of personal choice.
“Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Ladapo said at a press conference in Tampa. “Who am I as a government or anyone else, or who am I as a man standing here now to tell you what to do with your body?”
Sidenote: This is the same state that has a near-total abortion ban after six weeks of pregnancy and plans to change child labor laws to get literal children working, but sure, let’s continue this narrative about not telling people what to do with their bodies!
Ladapo said his agency would roll back mandates for a half-dozen or so vaccines under its authority but will need to work with the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature on a broader package of reforms. He did not specify which vaccine mandates his agency would do away with.
“Medical freedom is something we’ve got to be very conscientious about protecting,” DeSantis said.
Except if that “medical freedom” had anything to do with women or the LGBTQ+ community, right?
All U.S. states currently have vaccine requirements to attend public schools, with specific exceptions varying by state.
This reckless move by the Sunshine State will likely push ahead a frightening trend in vaccination rates, which have decreased among U.S. kindergartners in the 2024-25 school year, according to federal data.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the new figures in July in the midst of a growing measles outbreak, with confirmed cases that month reaching the highest level since the disease was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000.
Dr. Tina Tan, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said Florida’s move was “going to be a major disaster.”
“You’re going to get multiple outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease and spread of these diseases,” she said. “These kids are going to bring it home.”
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