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Florida’s Surgeon General has announced that the state is working to scrap all vaccine requirements for children.
In a press conference Wednesday, Joseph Ladapo compared vaccine mandates for school children to slavery and described them as “immoral.”
The decision has been sharply criticized by medical bodies, who fear it will increase the risk of children and communities developing preventable diseases.
- Florida’s Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo calls vaccine mandates for children immoral and likens them to slavery during a press conference.
- Florida is set to scrap all vaccine mandates for school children, emphasizing parental choice and bodily autonomy over government requirements.
- Medical bodies like the AMA and Florida's AAP warn that the rollback increases the risk of outbreaks of preventable diseases like measles and polio.
- The Florida MAHA Commission, modeled after RFK Jr.’s agenda, will promote state policies expanding parental rights over childhood vaccines.
Joseph Ladapo said mandatory vaccines for children were immoral
Image credits: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
“Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Ladapo said of vaccines during the press conference.
“Who am I as a government or anyone else, who am I as a man standing here now, to tell you what you should put in your body” he added.
“Who am I to tell you what your child should put in [their] body? I don’t have that right.”
Children attending public school in Florida are required to have several vaccinations, including polio, measles, chickenpox and hepatitis B shots.
Ladapo said the state is not banning vaccines, framing the move as a win for “parental choice” and “bodily autonomy.”
“Every last one is wrong and DRIPS with disdain and slavery! Who am I, or anyone else, to tell YOU what you should put in your body? Who am I to tell you… pic.twitter.com/1wDVzS18q3
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) September 3, 2025
“You want to put whatever different vaccines in your body, God bless you. I hope you make an informed decision,” Ladapo said.
“You don’t want to put whatever vaccines in your body, God bless you. I hope you make an informed decision. That’s how it should be.”
The announcement has been condemned by the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FCAAP).
“The American Medical Association strongly opposes Florida’s plan to end all vaccine mandates, including those required for school attendance,” Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, AMA Trustee, said.
“This unprecedented rollback would undermine decades of public health progress and place children and communities at increased risk for diseases such as measles, mumps, polio, and chickenpox resulting in serious illness, disability, and even death.”
When everyone in a school is vaccinated, it is harder for diseases to spread. We are concerned that today’s announcement will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick, which will have a ripple effect across our communities. pic.twitter.com/25byMHWGk4
— FL Chapter AAP (@FloridaAAP) September 3, 2025
“While there is still time, we urge Florida to reconsider this change to help prevent a rise of infectious disease outbreaks that put health and lives at risk.”
Dr. Rana Alissa, FCAAP president, echoed the call and warned the decision could have a “ripple effect.”
“When everyone in a school is vaccinated, it is harder for diseases to spread,” a statement on X read. “We are concerned that today’s announcement will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick, which will have a ripple effect across our communities.”
Lawmakers are among those branding the move as reckless, with Florida House Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani, who is running for Orlando mayor, fearing it could result in a public health disaster.
“Ending vaccine mandates is reckless and dangerous. It will drive down immunization rates & open the door to outbreaks of preventable diseases, putting children, seniors, and vulnerable Floridians at risk,” she said in a statement on X.
Medical bodies have criticized the move
Ending vaccine mandates is reckless and dangerous. It will drive down immunization rates & open the door to outbreaks of preventable diseases, putting children, seniors, and vulnerable Floridians at risk. This is a public health disaster in the making for the Sunshine State.
— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani, PhD 🔨 (@AnnaForFlorida) September 3, 2025
“This is a public health disaster in the making for the Sunshine State.”
The announcement comes after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis established the Florida Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission.
The commission is modelled after Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s MAHA agenda and will be chaired by Florida first lady Casey DeSantis and Lt. Governor Jay Collins.
DeSantis said the commission will “recommend state-level integrations of MAHA principles and expanded protections for parental choice regarding childhood vaccines.”
Image credits: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
“We have worked to empower Floridians to make the best decisions for their families’ health, and the Florida MAHA Commission will continue advancing this mission,” he added on X.
While Florida is embracing the MAHA agenda, other Democratic-leaning states are working to ensure health policies can be safeguarded.
The governors of Washington, Oregon, and California have announced the West Coast Health Alliance, which will coordinate health guidelines by aligning recommendations.
Immunization recommendations will be informed by respected national medical organizations, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, and Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said.
Image credits: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
“President Trump’s mass firing of CDC doctors and scientists — and his blatant politicization of the agency — is a direct assault on the health and safety of the American people,” the governors said in a joint statement.
“The CDC has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideology that will lead to severe health consequences. California, Oregon, and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk.”
Their announcement comes amid fears the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is being politicized and harming the health of Americans in the process.
There has recently been a wave of oustings and resignations at the CDC, with Director Susan Monarez sacked late last month.
There are concerns the CDC is being politicized
Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Monarez’s lawyers initially rejected her ousting and said she was being targeted because she “refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts,” choosing “protecting the public over serving a political agenda.”
Shortly afterward, four senior CDC leaders announced their resignations.
There have also been reports that RFK Jr. and President Donald Trump are planning to pull the COVID-19 vaccine from the U.S. market, according to The Daily Beast.
Last month, RFK Jr. cancelled nearly $500 million in funding for vaccine development using mRNA technology.
He confirmed that 22 projects using mRNA to develop vaccines for viruses like COVID-19 and the flu were being scrapped.
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