KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo praised national advocacy group Moms for Liberty for supporting his efforts to eliminate vaccine mandates for school children. He also urged members to help push legislative changes for all vaccine mandates with lawmakers in Tallahassee.
Speaking at the group’s summit at the Gaylord Palms Hotel in Kissimmee, Ladapo said he wants to work with state lawmakers to repeal all vaccine mandates.
[WATCH: Florida’s plan to drop school vaccine rule won’t start for 90 days, won’t cover all diseases]
“We are working on removing those, and we are going to need the cooperation of our lawmakers to be able to do those. So, we are working on that, and we need parents’ help,” he told attendees.
Ladapo thanked the group for supporting what he described as a restoration of medical decision-making to parents.
Moms for Liberty was founded by a group of mothers in Brevard County and has become a national organization with well over a hundred thousand members across the country.
Co-founder and CEO Tina Descovich is a former Brevard County School Board member. She told News 6, “He did a great job of explaining his latest stance on stopping mandates for children and how nobody should have the power to force you to inject something into yourself or your child.”
[WATCH: Former U.S. surgeon general defends vaccine safety and efficacy]
Public health officials and some members of the public have expressed concern about easing mandates as Florida contends with a surge in whooping cough cases and neighboring South Carolina reports an outbreak of measles. Those health trends, critics say, underscore the risks of rolling back statewide vaccination requirements.
At the summit, several parents voiced support for increased parental choice on vaccinations. Shawn Zierke of Brevard, a mother of a five-year-old with a heart condition who holds a master’s degree in public health, said she supports Dr. Ladapo’s position because it returns medical decisions to families.
“If you want to get your children vaccinated you still have that right. But the parents that don’t, they should have that right too,” Zierke told News 6.
Helena Munoz of Palm Beach County has two children and wanted to learn more about the issue. She said she appreciated information on alternative vaccination schedules.
“Because I have learned so much from this organization, I do know that I have the right to ask the doctor to maybe space out things and not necessarily give them four or five at once,” Munoz told News 6.
Under current state rules, Florida still requires some vaccinations. Any significant changes to those requirements would likely require action by the Florida Legislature during its next session.
Ladapo closed his remarks by reaffirming his confidence in the state’s approach.
“We will always be able to find a way to navigate to where we need to be,” he said.
Moms for Liberty also deals with other children’s issues and has been asked to be part of First Lady Melania Trump’s Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education.
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