Florida lawmakers were right to pump the brakes on vaccine exemptions | Opinion

Florida Republicans like to talk about freedom and the ability to make decisions without government interference. Recently, that’s extended to parental rights. Like most conservatives, I like my government limited and freedom abundant. But freedom without good judgment isn’t conservatism — it’s reckless.

For now, it looks like lawmakers have realized that.

The Florida Senate is still set to consider Senate Bill 1756, known as the medical freedom bill, on Friday. It would create a “conscience” category for parents to opt their children out of immunizations required to attend public schools, broadening existing exemptions.

But this latest parental rights effort is probably dead this session. The companion bill — HB 917 — hasn’t been voted on in the House and House Speaker Danny Perez told the Herald it won’t be moving forward.

According to the Florida Department of Health, Florida has had over 100 cases of measles since the beginning of the year. Florida ranks third in the nation for measles cases. In Broward County, only 82.2% of kindergarteners were vaccinated for the 2024-25 school year — a 15-year low. Lawmakers were right to stop creating more vaccine exemptions with vaccination rates declining and measles cases on the rise.

The argument for expanding exemptions was to provide parents with a way to object to vaccinations other than for religious reasons. Republican Sen. Clay Yarborough from Jacksonville, sponsor of SB 1756, claims his bill is about parental freedom saying, “The legislation is about the values we hold in high regard. Fundamentally, it’s about parents being able to make the best decisions for their children.”

Parents should be able to make decisions in the best interest of their children. But rights come with responsibilities. Expanding vaccine exemptions — especially during a measles outbreak — isn’t smart policy, even if Yarborough calls it freedom.

But that freedom apparently extends only to parents who don’t want to vaccinate their kids. What about everyone else? Parents who vaccinate their children deserve the freedom of sending their kid to school without exposing them to a disease that was eradicated just a few years ago.

Public health experts worry that declining vaccination rates could lead to future outbreaks. Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease expert and professor at Florida International University, told me, “You have to think of the measles outbreak as a canary in the coal mine because it’s the most contagious virus of humans.”

Even Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, “Take the vaccine, please. We have a solution for our problem.”

Measles is an extremely contagious virus and can cause serious complications, ranging from bacterial pneumonia to permanent neurological damage or even death. When parents choose not to vaccinate their children, the risk doesn’t end with their family. It spreads, creating a domino effect — reducing herd immunity rates and putting the entire community at risk.

There are also economic risks. Marty warned declining vaccination rates could lead to a strain on our healthcare system.

Protecting public safety and fiscal responsibility are supposed to be two hallmarks of conservatism. Both would’ve been undermined if the Legislature passed the medical freedom bill.

Some Republicans share my concerns. During the committee debate on the medical freedom bill, Republican Sens. Gayle Harrell and Colleen Burton voted against the bill. Harrell said she wouldn’t vote for the bill due to the current measles outbreak in the state. Burton argued that the bill goes against the choice of parents who want to send their kids to schools that require vaccines.

Most of my peers were vaccinated as kids and have directly benefited from those vaccines — they haven’t had to worry about diseases like measles. But today’s kids are facing a new reality. While parents push for expanded parental freedom, it’s the kids who take the risk and have to bear the consequences.

Lawmakers in Tallahassee seemed to have pumped the breaks on expanding vaccine exemptions. That’s a wise move. When it comes to public healthy, parental freedom must be balanced with responsibility.

Mary Anna Mancuso is a member of the Miami Herald Editorial Board. Her email: mmancuso@miamiherald.com

This story was originally published March 5, 2026 at 3:50 PM.