Last September, I wrote in these pages about the pre-Hemophilus influenzae type B (HIB) and pneumococcal vaccine era—a time when pediatricians were forced to routinely perform spinal taps on sick infants and toddlers and watch children die from infections now rarely seen. I warned that if public policy drifted away from evidence and toward ideology, those diseases would return.
That warning now feels alarmingly true.
Within the last year, Panama City has seen one infant and one toddler with Hib meningitis; both were unvaccinated. The infant died, and the toddler was left devastated with brain abscesses. Recall I said in that column that I had not seen a case of Hib in more than 30 years. I can no longer say that, because of falling immunization rates. Unfortunately, if the immunization rates in Florida continue to fall, more HIB cases will follow.
We are deeply concerned about the “medical freedom” legislation returning during the special session beginning April 28, because of its effect on immunization rates in the state. During the regular session, this legislation died; yet it has been revived for this session. This is a fight over whether Florida will make it easier for children to go unvaccinated against diseases that hospitalize, disable, and kill.
It is not necessary to guess what happens when vaccine protections weaken. We can see the results in states that have already adopted similar laws. Idaho enacted its “Medical Freedom Act” in 2025, following years of liberal opt-out policies; it now has the lowest kindergarten vaccination rate in the nation (78%) and a “permanent rebound” of pertussis. In Texas and Utah, where “conscientious” opt-outs were recently streamlined, outbreaks are reaching historic levels.
As of April 16, Utah has reported 602 measles cases in its current outbreak, while South Carolina reached 985 cases by late February. Florida has already documented 144 measles cases this year alone. In Texas, pertussis (whooping cough) hit an 11-year high with over 3,500 cases—four times the number from the year before.
This local push to make immunizations optional is fueled by a national climate of vaccine skepticism, championed by those in Washington who treat public health as a matter of political slogans. Infectious diseases do not respect slogans or care about our beliefs. Imagine a child in a pediatrician’s waiting room with a cough. That child—unvaccinated by “conscientious objection”—is in the early stages of pertussis. In that same room, a 2-week-old infant waits for a well-checkup, too young to be immunized. That infant becomes infected. Two weeks later, he is in the ICU. Three weeks later, he is dead, having sustained irreversible brain damage from lack of oxygen from his severe coughing spells.
Does the “freedom” of one parent outweigh the right of that infant to survive and thrive? In pediatrics, one family’s decision affects the child with leukemia, the infant in daycare, and the grandparent at home who may have cancer or another chronic disease. In public health, “personal choice” does not stay personal for long.
We urge the Florida Legislature to reject this effort again. Further, we urge every parent and grandparent who wants to protect their family to contact their legislator immediately.
Florida should not import a public-health failure that other states are already struggling to contain. We must not let “medical freedom” become a softer phrase for preventable suffering.
D. Paul Robinson, M.D., F.A.A.P., is past president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and current president, Tallahassee Pediatric Foundation.
Mary Norton, M.D., F.A.A.P. , is secretary, Tallahassee Pediatric Foundation, and a member of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida’s ‘medical freedom’ special session is a mistake | Opinion
Reporting by D. Paul Robinson, M.D., F.A.A.P and Mary Norton, M.D., F.A.A.P., Your Turn / Tallahassee Democrat
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