The Surgeon General of Florida, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, announced on Wednesday plans to end all vaccine mandates within the state, declaring that the government does not have the right to force individuals—or their children—to receive vaccinations.
“The Florida Department of Health, in partnership with the governor, is working to end all vaccine mandates in Florida law — all of them,” the Surgeon General stated alongside Governor Ron DeSantis at a press conference.
Ladapo underscored the importance of having the freedom to use personal discretion when making vaccine decisions, especially in the case of children.
“Every last [vaccine mandate] is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Ladapo stressed. “Who am I, the government, or anyone else, to tell you what you should put in your body? Who am I to tell you what your child should put in [their] body?”
“Your body is a gift from God,” he emphasized. “What you put into your body is because of your relationship with your body and your God. I don’t have that right. Government does not have that right.”
The Surgeon General’s announcement will make Florida the first in the nation to implement a statewide ban on vaccine mandates.
According to Fox News, there are currently eight vaccinations mandatory for school-aged children in Florida:
For childcare facilities and preschools, diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP); IPV (polio); measles, mumps and rubella (MMR); varicella; Hib; pneumococcal conjugate; and hepatitis B shots are required.
DTaP (4-5 doses), IPV (4-5 doses), MMR (2 doses), hepatitis B (3 doses) and varicella (2 doses or prior infection) are required for K-12 students. In seventh grade, students must also get a dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis).
Last March, Governor DeSantis and the Surgeon General called on the legislature to protect the medical freedom of Floridians by permanently prohibiting mandates for mRNA vaccinations.
“Guided by common sense and sound science, Florida has led the way in protecting patients’ rights. Now is the time to secure these protections and do even more to defend medical freedom,” DeSantis stated at the time. “Let’s keep Florida the beacon of freedom in health care, where the rights of all patients are enshrined permanently in law.”
The dangers of vaccine mandates were placed in the global spotlight during the coronavirus pandemic, which resulted in vast discrimination and medical coercion—placing individuals into categories of “vaccinated” vs “unvaccinated.”
Many church leaders, both in America and abroad, spoke out against COVID vaccine mandates, especially after government officials attempted to impose vaccine status based restrictions on houses of worship. In New Zealand, Calvary Chapel’s banned together to implore their Prime Minister to end the unjust mandates.
“Christians believe that the conscience, that internal part of us that impartially judges our own actions, is given by God and is a key means by which God speaks to us. It is a serious thing to force a person to go against their own will and judgment on a matter,” the pastors warned. “Government should respect the important function the conscience has in aiding a person in worshipping God and living in obedience to the state.”
“God has entrusted parents with the responsibility for raising, caring for and making decisions on behalf of their children,” they asserted. “Some parents will jump at the opportunity to have their children vaccinated, as is their prerogative. Many parents will, however, be understandably hesitant and others ardently against having their children vaccinated.”
The Calvary Chapel pastors further noted: “When it comes to our children, utmost caution should be taken… Parental choice and freedom from coercion in this matter is essential.”
The pushback was further justified as information emerged about significant adverse effects from COVID vaccines—adverse effects that, according to a recent report from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, were not publicly made known by health officials in the Biden Administration to avoid “vaccine hesitancy.”
According to the eye-opening report, US officials “knew about the risks of myocarditis,” “downplayed the health concern,” and intentionally “delayed informing the public about the risk.”
The Senate subcommittee is also scheduled to convene a hearing on “how the corruption of science has impacted public perception and policies regarding vaccines” next Tuesday.
