Allies of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have launched a coordinated state-level effort to repeal laws that require children to be vaccinated against diseases such as measles and polio before entering day care or kindergarten.
According to a New York Times report, the campaign is being organized by the newly formed Medical Freedom Act Coalition, an umbrella group of at least 15 nonprofit organizations that oppose what they describe as medical mandates, many of which involve vaccines.
Supporters say the effort is focused on expanding parental choice, while critics argue the changes could undermine longstanding public health safeguards.
On a recent call with supporters, coalition leader Leslie Manookian reportedly outlined the group's strategy.
"What we need to do is freaking burst the dam open," she said. "And that is what this year is all about, bursting the dam open in the states where we think it can happen first."
According to the report, bills have been introduced in at least nine states that would eliminate all or nearly all school-entry vaccine requirements. The proposals include states where passage is unlikely, such as New York, as well as states including New Hampshire, Georgia, Iowa and Idaho, where they have gained more traction.
Some public health experts view the state-level push as a continuation of recent changes in federal vaccine policy under Kennedy's leadership.
Sara Rosenbaum, a health law professor emerita at George Washington University and former Clinton administration official, told the Times that activists appear encouraged by Kennedy's role at the Department of Health and Human Services.
"They're drunk on their apparent power, because they have one of their own sitting in the secretarial office of HHS," Rosenbaum said. "They think this is the time for them to go for broke and just simply make the default no requirements at all."
Organizations in the coalition reportedly include Children's Health Defense, the nonprofit Kennedy co-founded, along with two groups created to support his MAHA — Make America Healthy Again — movement.
At a Heritage Foundation event featuring Kennedy, Children's Health Defense general counsel Kim Mack Rosenberg said, "Ultimately, the goal is to remove mandates."
She added, "Particularly when you tie those mandates to school attendance, that creates an incredibly difficult situation for families."
Kennedy has said he is not involved in the effort to repeal school-entry requirements. Speaking at an event in Tennessee, he said, "I believe in freedom of choice," and expressed support for allowing families to make vaccine decisions with their physicians.
The proposals have met mixed outcomes. Some measures have stalled in states such as Oklahoma and Indiana, while others remain pending, including in West Virginia and Arizona.
In Florida, no bill has yet been introduced to eliminate school-entry requirements, though officials are considering regulatory changes that would ease certain vaccination rules.
Public health officials warn that reducing school vaccination requirements could lower immunization rates and increase the risk of outbreaks. The Times report cites a measles outbreak in South Carolina that has affected more than 900 people, including at least 19 who were hospitalized.
In West Virginia, state Rep. Chris Anders defended his bill to eliminate school mandates.
"If people decide not to be vaccinated, that is their choice," he told the Times. "Just like if they decide not to wear a seatbelt or a motorcycle helmet or anything else. If they decide that, they suffer the consequences."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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