Florida could become the first state in the United States to end vaccination requirements for its children. The controversial idea to eliminate vaccine mandates appears to have the support of the state’s far-right Governor Ron DeSantis and fits the agenda being pushed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. But public health experts warn that the proposal, which has not yet been approved or implemented, could endanger the state’s population and create outbreaks of preventable diseases.

Surgeon General, Governor seek ‘to end all vaccine mandates in Florida law’

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, an ally of DeSantis who was chosen by the governor for the role, announced in a Wednesday press conference that he was seeking an end to all vaccine requirement in the state. Ladapo announced to a cheering crowd on Wednesday that “the Florida Department of Health, in partnership with the governor, is going to be working to end all vaccine mandates in Florida law.” Framing his opposition to vaccine mandates in terms of bodily autonomy and religious freedom, Ladapo said of vaccine requirements that “every last one of them is wrong and drips of disdain and of slavery.” Ladapo did not explain in detail how to implement the massive rollback of vaccine requirements, only saying that Florida lawmakers “are gonna have to make decisions” about the requirements and urging them to side with his stance.

Ladapo’s opposition to public health requirements is well-documented, as are various falsehoods that he has promoted concerning vaccines. Among other instances of making false claims about vaccines, public records demonstrate that Ladapo personally altered the results of a scientific study to claim that COVID-19 vaccines increased the risk of cardiac arrest among young men. Despite Ladapo’s views being rejected and deemed dangerous by many within the scientific community, his stances align with those of the Trump administration. Policies enacted by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy have weakened vaccine access and gutted public health infrastructure, leading to active opposition from employees of agencies like the CDC. Robert W Malone, a physician recently appointed by Kennedy to advise on vaccine policy, reported Ladapo’s anti-vaccine announcement with the caption “Go Joe!”