Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo are working to end all vaccine requirements in the state of Florida.
The state requires vaccines for kids attending school, including shots that protect against Measles-mumps-rubella, polio, and chickenpox.
“Every last one of them, every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and-and slavery," Ladapo said of vaccine mandates during a Wednesday press conference.
The state's chief health officer says the Florida Department of Health is working to remove those rules. Ladapo previously worked to keep Florida from having COVID-19 vaccine requirements.
“Who am I to tell you what your child should put in your [their] body? I don't have that, right? Your body. Your body is a gift from God. What you put into your body, what you put into your body is because of your relationship with your body and your God, I don't have that right," he said.
Florida already allows religious and health exemptions to those requirements. This announcement of a state version of the federal Make America Healthy Again campaign comes as Federal Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy is working to change national vaccination policy. Critics of removing vaccine mandates have expressed concern that it could lead to a spike in those diseases amongst children, as well as leave those that are immunocompromised and cannot get vaccinated at risk of harm.
Ladapo did not give specifics on when the changes will come.
The announcement was met with condemnation from gubernatorial candidate David Jolly, a former Republican Congressman who is now running as a Democrat.
“For generations, vaccines have protected kids, families, and schools from outbreaks of preventable diseases. Stripping away these protections, puts politics ahead of science and needlessly endangers the health of our communities. Florida families deserve leaders who will put the safety of our children first and not gamble with their futures,” Jolly said.
Ladapo's position runs contrary to that of most major health organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the World Health Organization, among others.
During a 2023 Senate hearing, Ladapo was asked by Democratic state Sen. Tina Polsky whether he thought the state of Florida should not have required childhood vaccinations to enter public schools.
"I think that the Florida statutes are appropriate and the Florida statutes provide mandated vaccines along with an opportunity for families, parents who believe otherwise, to opt out. And I think that's appropriate," he replied at the time.