A new movement, spearheaded by long-standing allies of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who currently serves as the nation’s health secretary, is actively seeking to overturn decades-old laws. These laws mandate that children receive vaccinations for diseases like measles and polio before attending daycare or kindergarten.
This newly established coalition of vaccine activists, emboldened by high-level federal backing, is mobilizing its supporters to challenge these laws. Historically, state-mandated childhood immunizations have served as a critical defense against dangerous diseases, with some existing exemptions already in place.
Leslie Manookian, a key figure behind Idaho’s law banning medical mandates, declared to supporters on a recent call, “What we need to do is freaking burst the dam open. And that is what this year is all about, bursting the dam open in the states where we think it can happen first.”
Manookian leads the Medical Freedom Act Coalition, an expansive group comprising over 15 nonprofit organizations. Their collective aim is to dismantle state laws that enforce what they term ‘medical mandates,’ primarily referring to vaccine requirements.
To date, legislative proposals have surfaced in at least nine states, seeking to abolish most, if not all, school immunization requirements. While unlikely to pass in states like New York, these efforts are gaining momentum in others such as New Hampshire, Georgia, Iowa, and Idaho.
Many who support vaccines see this state-level campaign as a further step in weakening the national immunization system. This builds on prior actions, including a significant reduction in federally recommended vaccines, attributed to Mr. Kennedy.
This strategy, although not completely unprecedented, reveals a deep understanding of how to systematically undo over a century of advancements in safeguarding children from lethal diseases, according to Sara Rosenbaum, a distinguished health law professor and former Clinton administration official.
“They’re exhilarated by their perceived influence, largely because they have one of their own at the helm of the Department of Health and Human Services,” commented Ms. Rosenbaum. “They believe now is their chance to push for a complete overhaul, aiming for a default of no vaccine requirements whatsoever.”
Key organizations within this new coalition include Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit co-founded by Mr. Kennedy, alongside two other groups established to advance his ‘Make America Healthy Again’ (MAHA) initiative. The MAHA Institute, specifically, is focusing on state policy and is actively recruiting staff to further its objectives.
Mr. Kennedy’s divergence from established federal vaccine recommendations has sparked a wave of legislative action across states. As his policies gain traction, some Democrat-leaning states are forming alliances to counter the new federal guidance, while certain Republican-led states are moving to adopt it.
At a recent Heritage Foundation event where Mr. Kennedy was present, Kim Mack Rosenberg, general counsel for Children’s Health Defense, emphasized that a primary goal is to undo existing state vaccine requirements.
“Ultimately, the goal is to remove mandates,” Ms. Mack Rosenberg stated directly.
She further explained that tying these mandates to school attendance creates an “incredibly difficult situation for families.”
During a Tennessee event this month, when questioned about efforts to repeal school vaccine requirements, Mr. Kennedy denied direct involvement. However, he declared his belief in “freedom of choice,” which was met with applause, and advocated for individuals to make vaccine decisions in consultation with their families and doctors.
Manookian clarified that the coalition’s work aims to end what she perceives as coercion surrounding all medical treatments. She emphasized, “It’s about putting the power back in the hands of the individual.”
The proposals to eliminate school-entry vaccine mandates have seen varied outcomes: some have stalled in states like Oklahoma and Indiana, while others are still under consideration in places such as West Virginia. An Arizona bill faces an expected veto from its Democratic governor, and a New York bill is unlikely to pass its Democrat-controlled legislature. The coalition anticipates a new bill in Louisiana next month.
Florida officials had expressed a desire to end childhood vaccine mandates, yet no direct bill to eliminate school-entry rules has been introduced. Instead, a current proposal focuses on creating a “conscience” or personal-belief exemption, which would simplify the process for parents wishing to opt their children out of immunizations.
These efforts to reverse state laws are deeply concerning to pediatricians and vaccine advocates, who stress that most parents and the public widely accept the importance of childhood immunizations.
Public health experts believe that removing school vaccine requirements would inevitably lead to decreased immunization rates, triggering surges in preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough, and potentially later, rubella and polio. South Carolina is already experiencing this firsthand, with a measles outbreak infecting over 900 individuals, 19 of whom required hospitalization for severe complications such as pneumonia and brain swelling.
In schools at the heart of the South Carolina outbreak, less than 80 percent of students had completed their required childhood immunizations. This falls significantly below the 95 percent vaccination rate deemed necessary to prevent the rapid spread of measles, a highly contagious virus.
However, a significant counter-force to weakening vaccine mandates has appeared: public opinion. Multiple polls indicate that voters are likely to disapprove of lawmakers who support removing school immunization requirements. A recent Wall Street Journal poll, for instance, showed Democrats holding a 9-point lead over Republicans when voters were asked which party was better equipped to manage vaccine policy.
Further reinforcing this trend, two polls funded by vaccine advocates and conducted by Republican-aligned research firms revealed that voters in Florida and Tennessee would not support legislators aiming to dismantle school vaccine mandates. One such poll by Fabrizio Ward, a firm frequently utilized by President Trump, indicated that Republican candidates critical of vaccines could lose approximately 20 percentage points among swing voters in closely contested congressional races.
The Fabrizio Ward memo concluded, “Vaccine skepticism is bad politics.”
Despite these polling results, vaccine proponents remain worried about ongoing legislative efforts in states like New Hampshire, Iowa, Idaho, and Georgia, which could severely restrict or entirely eliminate school-entry vaccine mandates.
Jennifer Herricks, advocacy director for American Families for Vaccines, a nonprofit partially funded by vaccine manufacturers, highlighted the historical impact: “Prior to vaccines, one in five kids didn’t make it to their fifth birthday. These policies have been crucial in protecting children during their most vulnerable period against these diseases.”
In New Hampshire, a lengthy legislative hearing on a bill to remove school vaccine requirements was heavily influenced by vaccine skeptics. The bill was later amended to retain the polio vaccine mandate. State health officials warned that the original proposal would jeopardize federal grant funding, potentially costing millions annually for low-income children’s immunizations, and could lead to “widespread uncontrolled illness.”
Idaho enacted a law in 2025 aimed at eliminating medical mandates for vaccines and other interventions. However, Manookian noted that this law did not specifically alter existing day care or school vaccine requirements.
Manookian plans to back a new Idaho proposal that would directly address these school mandates. She observed that some Idaho school districts continue to uphold vaccine requirements, despite the broader state law prohibiting general medical mandates.
She argued that by “playing parent and intruding,” schools and daycares are ultimately “harming themselves.”
In West Virginia, Republican lawmaker Chris Anders introduced a bill this month seeking to eliminate school vaccination mandates, including the provision for county health departments to provide free shots to low-income children. Anders acknowledged that the bill’s advancement by other lawmakers is improbable.
Anders articulated his stance, stating, “If people decide not to be vaccinated, that is their choice. Just like if they decide not to wear a seatbelt or a motorcycle helmet or anything else. If they decide that, they suffer the consequences.”
Last year, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill enabling lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers advertising in the state.
A federal law from 1986 established the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, a special court for vaccine-injury claims. Mr. Kennedy, having previously worked on a significant lawsuit against a vaccine manufacturer, has consistently criticized this court, advocating for easier avenues to pursue vaccine-related lawsuits.
Florida’s Surgeon General, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, declared last fall that the state intended to cease vaccine requirements. As no legislative proposal to enact this has materialized, a more limited initiative to alter state rules is now progressing.
Specifically, Florida officials aim to eliminate mandatory vaccinations for varicella (chickenpox), hepatitis B, pneumococcal bacteria, and Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), all of which can lead to severe or fatal conditions.
A highly debated hearing on this plan took place in December. Among those who testified was Jamie Schanbaum, who suffered the amputation of her fingers and lower legs due to severe meningitis—a condition preventable by the pneumococcal vaccine. She has become a staunch advocate for vaccination and implored Florida leaders to maintain existing requirements.
Schanbaum expressed her frustration in an interview, stating, “It’s very frustrating to see and experience the reality of today and that our most prominent, most respected medical guidances are being not taken seriously.”
Emily Cochrane and Teddy Rosenbluth contributed reporting.