Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo told Newsmax on Wednesday that the state's decision to end all vaccine mandates for children and adults is rooted in a long-standing philosophy of prioritizing freedom and parental choice.
"What went into this decision is a pattern here in Florida," Ladapo said on "National Report." "You dial the clock back five years ago when Governor DeSantis was first starting to tangle with opposition in the COVID-19 pandemic, and he had positions that were very unpopular."
But in retrospect, he added, "It's very clear that they were the correct positions in terms of minimizing lockdowns, getting kids back into school, doing away with the ridiculous masking of children that, if you remember, was prevalent throughout the country."
He said Florida is once again drawing a line against mandates, this time on vaccines.
"Here we are again at another juncture where we're making a statement about the fact that ultimately, ladies and gentlemen, for the benefit of all of us, it is much better for parents to be the ones to decide what vaccines their children accept," Ladapo said. "Whatever you believe about the impact of that, it is a much better place for us to be as a country that values freedom as part of our sustainability."
Ladapo also pushed back on critics such as Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., who told Newsmax on Tuesday that the move went "a bridge too far."
"He wants to have his cake and eat it," Ladapo said. "He's saying that public schools should be the ones to make these decisions, but not with the COVID-19 vaccine. It's an inconsistent and frankly illogical position. But guys, it's very simple."
Marshall, an obstetrician, told Newsmax he supports school boards making decisions and argued vaccines serve the broader community.
"I believe in empowering local school boards with the information, the transparency and the trust to make those decisions," Marshall said. "Vaccines like the MMR vaccine, polio, those serve way beyond just the children they're protecting. It's protecting the entire community as well."
Framing the issue in moral and spiritual terms, Ladapo said vaccine choice comes down to fundamental rights.
"Ultimately, we're human beings with human bodies that are gifts from God," he said. "We have to be able to control what vaccines or medications we put into our bodies. That's a very simple position. And it's also a very simple truth."
Florida is now the first state in the nation to eliminate vaccine mandates entirely, a move that Ladapo said will set an example in the broader national debate over public health and personal liberty.
Other states continue to require core immunizations such as measles, mumps and rubella, and polio vaccines for schoolchildren.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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