Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis today urged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to halt its recommendation of COVID-19 vaccines for children while calling on the Florida Legislature to permanently ban mRNA vaccine mandates and enshrine vaccination status protections in the state’s Patient’s Bill of Rights.
The announcement, made alongside State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, reinforces Florida’s stance as a leader in medical freedom under DeSantis’s administration.
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“Guided by common sense and sound science, Florida has led the way in protecting patients’ rights,” DeSantis said. “Now is the time to secure these protections and do even more to defend medical freedom. Let’s keep Florida the beacon of freedom in health care, where the rights of all patients are enshrined permanently in law.” The governor pointed to studies suggesting mRNA vaccines may pose greater risks to children than initially estimated during their emergency authorization, a concern Florida first raised in March 2022 when it advised against vaccinating healthy kids aged 5 to 17.
First Lady Casey DeSantis echoed the call, emphasizing the state’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Florida stood in the breach to protect people during COVID,” she said. “Now it’s time to make sure these protections last.” She joined her husband and Ladapo in pressing lawmakers to act before key provisions lapse on June 1, 2025, which currently bar schools, employers, and businesses from mandating mRNA vaccines.
The couple’s dual push targets both federal and state levels. They criticized the CDC and FDA’s 2021 decision to authorize and recommend mRNA vaccines for children, citing clinical trials showing higher rates of adverse effects like lower respiratory infections among vaccinated youth. “Experimental mRNA shots should not be recommended to children,” their statement read, urging the CDC to reverse course.
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In Florida, the stakes are immediate. Without legislative action, expiring laws could allow schools and universities to require mRNA vaccines for students and permit government entities and private businesses to fire unvaccinated employees.
To preempt this, DeSantis and his wife proposed codifying these bans permanently. They also advocated amending the Patient’s Bill of Rights in Florida Statutes to prohibit health care providers from denying treatment based on vaccination status—a safeguard against patients being “kicked out of their doctor’s office” for opting out.
State Surgeon General Ladapo praised the initiative, saying, “I am deeply grateful to Governor Ron and First Lady Casey DeSantis for continuing to put the needs and rights of Floridians first. These proposals will strengthen the sovereignty of patients.” He signaled plans to collaborate with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to advance the issue federally.
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The announcement aligns with DeSantis’s long-standing skepticism of mRNA vaccines and his administration’s defiance of federal health mandates.
Florida’s early rejection of childhood COVID vaccinations and its resistance to workplace mandates have made it a national outlier—a stance the governor now seeks to solidify into law.
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