The US state of Florida is planning to remove vaccine requirements for attending school. Florida's Surgeon General, Joseph Ladapo, argues that it is "slavery" to force parents to have their children injected.
In the United States, vaccines are required for children attending school, with requirements varying from state to state, but often including vaccines against diseases such as measles and polio. Ladapo said during a press conference on Wednesday that the state now plans to work toward removing all vaccine requirements for schoolchildren in Florida.
— Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery, he says according to NBC News.
The Surgeon General points out that parents should have the right to decide for themselves and that forcing vaccination is "immoral".
— Who am I to tell you what your child should put in their body? I don’t have that right.
"Absolutely frightening"
Other doctors and health experts, however, criticize Ladapo's statement and argue that there will be a greater risk for children to become ill.
— The idea that children would be allowed to go to school unvaccinated is absolutely frightening, says Dr. Richard Besser, former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It is unclear when the vaccine requirements are planned to be abolished, but Ladapo says that Florida's Department of Health will collaborate with the governor to implement the plan.
