ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Florida plans to become the first state to eliminate vaccine mandates that have been a cornerstone of public health policy for decades in keeping schoolchildren and adults safe from infectious diseases.

State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, who announced the decision Wednesday, cast current requirements in schools and elsewhere as “immoral” intrusions on people's rights that hamper parents' ability to make health decisions for their children.

“People have a right to make their own decisions, informed decisions,” Ladapo, who has frequently clashed with the medical establishment , said at a news conference in Valrico. “They don’t have the right to tell you what to put in your body. Take it away from them.”

Physician groups and other health organizations ha

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