Linette Garcia | Staff Writer
On Sept. 3, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced plans to end vaccine mandates at a news conference. If these plans come to fruition, I will be the first to buy a plane ticket to leave this failing state.
This jarring move would make Florida the first state in the U.S. to cut ties with the upheld practice of requiring vaccines in public places and preventing outbreaks of infectious and deadly diseases. Rolling back these requirements increases the likelihood of exempted students transmitting viruses in communities.
Though there are certain exemptions, all 50 states are obligated to mandate vaccines for students to attend public schools, including FIU, which requires proof of immunization for MMR, Hepatitis B and Meningitis. Failing to provide records can prevent students from registering for classes.
I don’t think Florida’s administration fully realizes how dangerous this action is. Florida is one of the biggest tourism states—many people from different states and countries come here to vacation, and without protection, we’re easily susceptible to catching serious diseases.
For a state that makes such a big deal of pushing pro-life ideologies, they seem alarmingly comfortable eliminating life-saving medicine for Florida’s students.
Ladapo even equates mandated vaccines to “slavery”, which is so chilling to hear. This top health official completely disregarded established medical science and disguised this decision as “medical freedom”.
But here’s the sitch: Ladapo confirmed that his department did not conduct prior research on the effects of changing vaccine rules. This lack of preparation is a clear display of negligence and incompetence, a demonstration of how Florida will destroy itself from within.
Vaccines have saved millions of American lives, with vaccines curated for children preventing half a billion illnesses that saved the U.S. trillions of dollars in societal health-care costs over the past three decades. Ladapo’s stance of stoking fears about vaccines, despite evidence of intended protection, should be a wake-up call for all Floridians.
I’m truly thankful that I’m vaccinated, and the worst sickness I ever encountered was a stomach flu that lasted two weeks. However, other students do not have that luxury, making them easy targets for terrible outbreaks.
While I understand the right to individual choice regarding what you put on your body, you should also be prepared for the consequences of this decision. If not vaccinating yourself or your kids is a declaration of freedom, then by all means, go ahead: you’ll reap what you sow.
Florida’s move to dismantle vaccine mandates is a reckless gamble with public health. Our state leaders turning their backs on decades of medical progress is disgraceful, and we, as students, deserve to thrive in a healthy environment, not one that undermines our well-being.
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