In a heated debate on Capitol Hill, Representative Lois Frankel (D-FL) urged her colleagues to support an amendment that would withhold certain federal funds from states or local governments that weaken vaccine requirements. The measure, she said, is about one thing: protecting lives.
“It is surreal that I have to offer this amendment,” Frankel told fellow lawmakers, emphasizing that vaccines have been a cornerstone of public health for decades. She pointed specifically to her home state of Florida, where Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, backed by Governor Ron DeSantis, has supported efforts to roll back vaccine mandates for schools, daycare centers, college housing, and even nursing homes.
Frankel argued that eliminating vaccine requirements would turn back the clock on diseases long controlled or eradicated. She listed examples: polio, measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, chickenpox, and hepatitis B. Each, she said, was once devastating but has been largely contained thanks to immunization. “These are not experimental shots,” she stressed. “These are time-tested, proven vaccines that have saved millions of lives.”
Her concern extended beyond residents. Florida, she noted, welcomes 150 million tourists annually. Weakening immunization rules, she warned, could undermine not only public health but also the state’s tourism-driven economy. “Are families really going to bring their children to Disney World,” she asked, “if they risk exposure to measles or chickenpox?”
Frankel also criticized Ladapo’s comparison of vaccine mandates to slavery and his stated emphasis on “parental choice.” She questioned what happens to parents who want their children protected from contagious diseases at school or seniors who expect safeguards in nursing homes.
The congresswoman underscored that vaccine mandates are not new. For more than a century, she said, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld them, and all 50 states have some form of requirement. Removing them, she argued, would endanger vulnerable populations like infants, cancer patients, and the immunocompromised.
Her amendment, she concluded, draws a clear boundary: states that abandon vaccine protections should not receive federal health funds. “Let’s not gamble with the safety of our communities,” Frankel urged. “This is common sense.”
As lawmakers weigh the proposal, the debate highlights a deeper national divide over science, personal choice, and the role of government in safeguarding public health.
Source: Congresswoman Lois Frankel
