Breaking News: Florida Eliminates Childhood Vaccine Mandates, Launches Health Commission
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida will eliminate childhood vaccine requirements for school attendance and establish a new state commission focused on healthcare policy, Governor Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday. The move follows a pattern of resistance to federal health recommendations and mandates seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision to end vaccine mandates marks a significant shift in state policy and aligns with DeSantis’ broader efforts to increase parental rights in medical decisions and challenge what he terms “medical orthodoxy.” The state previously resisted imposing COVID-19 vaccines on schoolchildren, as well as requirements for “passports” to access public spaces, school closures, and employer vaccine mandates.
“I don’t think there’s another state that’s done as much as Florida. We want to stay ahead of the curve,” DeSantis stated.
The newly formed “Make America Healthy Again” commission, chaired by Lieutenant Governor jay Collins and First Lady Casey DeSantis, will investigate issues including informed consent in medical treatment, promotion of nutritious food, parental rights regarding children’s healthcare, and the evaluation of medical data supporting current practices.The commission’s creation is modeled after similar initiatives established at the federal level by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed by the Washington state Medical Association and other groups-stemming from a Trump administration executive order instructing agencies to limit the use of the term “gender” in federal policies-resulted in a court order to restore over 100 websites and resources containing facts on topics like pregnancy risks, opioid-use disorder, and the AIDS epidemic. Dr. John Bramhall, president of the Washington State Medical Association, called the initial removal of information an ”egregious example of government overreach.”
