The Florida government announced on Thursday (4) that it intends to terminate all vaccination requirements in the state, including for children’s school enrollment. The measure was confirmed by Florida’s general surgeon, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, during a press conference in the city of Tallahassee, with the presence of Republican Governor Ron Denantis.
“Every vaccine mandate is wrong and carries with it contempt and slavery,” said Ladapo.
According to the announcement, the Florida Health Department will immediately begin the revocation of rules not provided for in state law. The other provisions that require legislative changes should be discussed by state parliamentarians.
Discantis pointed out that the proposal is part of a broader agenda of “medical freedom”, which must be formalized in a bill in the next legislative session.
Ladapo argued that vaccination should be an individual choice. “People have the right to make their own decisions, informed decisions. What you put in your body is the result of your relationship with your body and God. I don’t have that right. The government has no such right,” he said.
The measure, which includes school enrollment, would make Florida, if approved by the legislature, the first US state to eliminate the requirement of vaccines for students. The decision breaks with a model in force since the 1980s, when all states have demanded immunization of children in entering the kindergarten, for example. Currently, no jurisdiction requires vaccination against COVID-19, but most maintain the requirement of doses against diseases such as measles, polio and tetanus.
Governor Destis stressed that the plan, involving students, reflects his government’s view of the relationship between parents and state.
“It is not up to the government to impose decisions that belong to families,” he said.
