About 62% of Florida voters are against the state’s proposal to get rid of all vaccine mandates[1] for public schoolchildren, according to a new poll by the James Madison Institute[2].
Only about 29% support Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo’s push to make Florida the first state to end vaccine requirements.
The survey[3] of 1,200 registered voters, however, also found Floridians’ views on vaccines had some nuance.
“Nearly half (49%) back a streamlined U.S. childhood vaccine schedule limiting mandates to MMR and polio, with other vaccines like DTaP and hepatitis B optional,” the conservative think tank said in a press release. “Less than two in five voters (38%) prefer the current broader approach, signaling a cautious yet practical stance on public health amid ongoing debates on vaccine safety.”
Pollsters report a 2.77-percentage-point margin of error.
The latest survey to get a snapshot on Floridian’s views comes after DeSantis and Ladapo disclosed their plan to repeal vaccine mandates. Democrats, meanwhile, raised alarms that the move will put children’s health at risk.
The state currently[4] has in place pre-K-12 immunization requirements for polio, measles-mumps-rubella, chicken pox, Hepatitis B and other diseases. Parents can already request exemptions for religious reasons.
Democrats, some Republicans[5], and health care advocates are pushing back against removing the mandates.
“We didn’t need to make any change. Parents already had the right to make changes if they wanted to,” said U.S. Sen. Rick Scott[6], a Naples Republican and former Governor.
Without providing specifics, Ladapo said he planned to work with state lawmakers on a bill package for the policy change as well as undo some of the vaccine mandates within his power at the Florida Department of Health.
Ladapo, who is known for his controversial stances, compared vaccine mandates to slavery.
“Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” he said at a press conference. “Who am I to tell you what your child should put in your body? I don’t have that right. Your body is a gift from God.”
But U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost[7], an Orlando Democrat, countered[8], “Make no mistake: people will die, kids will die at the expense of DeSantis’ culture war.”
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References
- ^ proposal to get rid of all vaccine mandates (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ James Madison Institute (jamesmadison.org)
- ^ survey (jmipoll.com)
- ^ currently (www.floridahealth.gov)
- ^ some Republicans (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ Rick Scott (www.rickscott.senate.gov)
- ^ Maxwell Frost (frost.house.gov)
- ^ countered (floridapolitics.com)