In a sharp rebuke to the DeSantis administration, the state’s largest physician group warns that eliminating long-standing immunization requirements is a threat to public health.
In a direct challenge to Governor Ron DeSantis’s and Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo’s plan to eliminate all childhood vaccine mandates, the Florida Medical Association (FMA) has issued a statement unequivocally supporting current immunization requirements.
The FMA, which represents more than 23,000 physicians and medical professionals, stated that the mandates protect children from once-deadly diseases.
The FMA’s statement, attributed to the organization as a whole, underscores its mission to “promote the public health” and “ensure the highest standards of medical practice.”
It emphasizes that vaccines have been proven safe and effective through years of research. This condemnation comes as Governor DeSantis and Dr. Ladapo announced plans to phase out all childhood vaccine mandates in the state, making Florida the first in the nation to do so. The effort would eliminate long-standing requirements for immunizations against diseases such as measles, polio, and hepatitis B, which are currently necessary for children to attend daycare and public schools.
Dr. Ladapo, who has frequently clashed with the medical establishment, described current vaccine requirements as an “immoral” intrusion on people’s rights bordering on “slavery.” The Health Department stated it would work with the legislature to end “every last one of them.” The proposal was immediately met with pushback from officials like Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani, who warned of a “public health disaster.”
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In addition to the vaccine policy, Governor DeSantis announced the creation of a state-level “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) commission.
This commission, chaired by Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis, will explore medical freedom and other health-related topics, with its findings informing a legislative “medical freedom package.” The governor’s office stated that the goal is to get “government out of the way” of people’s lives.
Meanwhile, in response to what they called the politicization of public health decisions, the Democratic governors of Washington, Oregon, and California announced a new alliance to coordinate on their states’ health and vaccination guidelines based on recommendations from national medical organizations.
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