Florida touts doctor freedom but pushes them to take unvaccinated kids

[Zorro]

Some pediatricians in Florida deny unvaccinated children. DeSantis wants to change that.

In Florida, you can’t turn away a patient on the basis of their race, color, sex, religion or national origin. But a doctor can turn someone away if they’re unvaccinated.

And in the Tampa Bay area, several pediatricians do.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo want to end that. In a news conference earlier this month, where they discussed a plan to make Florida the only state in the nation without any vaccine mandates, DeSantis said pediatricians should not deny care to children because they don’t have certain vaccinations.

“That’s wrong, and it’s coercive,” DeSantis said. “It tries to undercut your ability to choose.”

Two years ago, DeSantis and the Legislature were adamant about giving doctors the freedom to run their practice as they please. In 2023, the governor signed a bill allowing physicians the ability to deny any patient a treatment if it violates their conscience or morals.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2025/09/24/florida-vaccine-requirement-desantis-ladapo-measles-conscience/

[Raven123]

1. Oh by all means. Let's expose at risk children to preventable diseases

The question is why do at risk children have fewer rights than those who are unvaccinated by their parents’ choice?

[slightlv]

2. Not only that, but I'll bet more than a few docs

feels that stupidly not getting childhood vaxes for your kids is child abuse or neglect, and it probably violates their conscience or morals, and definitely their oath as a doctor. But these docs don't have any rights any longer? Get the frack out of FL... but going somewhere else is hard, even as a doc. You just can't escape the insanity.