Death Vacations in the State of Denial

Florida has decided to take public health into its own hands—by basically ignoring it. The state is moving to eliminate all vaccine mandates for schoolchildren, including shots for chickenpox, hepatitis B, and certain bacterial infections. Because nothing says “innovation” like turning classrooms into petri dishes.

Parents who don’t want to vaccinate their kids now have the legal green light to roll the dice on public health. Herd immunity? Optional. Protection for the most vulnerable? Who needs it? Science clearly took a vacation to somewhere far from the Sunshine State.

The consequences are obvious. Measles, nearly eradicated in the modern era, could stage a dramatic comeback. Hepatitis B, a serious liver infection, will have more hosts than ever. Outbreaks of preventable diseases aren’t hypothetical—they’re inevitable when vaccination becomes optional.

And let’s be clear: viruses don’t negotiate or check political boundaries. They just spread. The more children unprotected, the more opportunities for outbreaks, hospitalizations, and needless suffering.

Florida can call this “freedom of choice” all it wants. But freedom comes with responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is not letting preventable diseases run wild in schools. Eliminating vaccine mandates isn’t progressive; it’s reckless. And while policymakers pat themselves on the back for deregulation, Floridians—especially children—are left to pay the price.