Eliminating Vaccine Mandates Isn’t Conservative—It’s Reckless
By Joseph Mizereck • December 2025
As a lifelong conservative, I have always believed that our movement stands on three pillars: responsibility, stewardship, and safeguarding the institutions that hold our communities together. That is why Governor Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo’s proposal to eliminate vaccine mandates for children attending Florida schools is not just misguided—it is a profound departure from genuine conservative values.
For generations, conservatives have championed the idea that freedom is sustained by order, stability, and the protection of the vulnerable. Vaccine mandates in schools embody these principles. They are not government overreach; they are a practical, time-tested safeguard that ensures children can learn in healthy, stable environments.
True conservatism has never meant doing whatever one wishes without regard for consequences. It means recognizing that personal choices have societal impacts. No parent’s decision exists in a vacuum when contagious disease can spread through classrooms in hours. Conservatives have long supported rules—seatbelt laws, littering fines, drinking-age restrictions—not because we enjoy regulation, but because they prevent harm and preserve the functioning of society. Vaccine mandates fall squarely into that same category.
Governor DeSantis and Dr. Ladapo frame their proposal as defending “freedom,” but freedom without responsibility becomes chaos. Ask any working family what happens when a measles outbreak shuts down their child’s school. Ask any small business what happens when staff must quarantine for weeks. An epidemic is not freedom; it is disruption, fear, and unnecessary suffering.
Moreover, conservatives value institutions: strong schools, strong families, and strong communities. Vaccine mandates have quietly upheld these institutions for decades. Undoing them threatens the very order and continuity we pride ourselves on defending.
Florida’s children deserve policies rooted in wisdom, not ideology. Eliminating vaccine mandates is not brave, principled, or conservative. It is a rejection of the responsibility we owe to our families, our schools, and our state.
Conservatives do not turn our backs on proven tools that protect children. We do not trade stability for chaos. And we do not confuse reckless abandonment of duty with liberty.
If we truly want to conserve what matters—health, safety, community, and future generations—then Florida must maintain its vaccine mandates. That is the conservative stance. That is the responsible stance. And that is the moral stance our leaders should be taking.