The Florida Governor’s Office is standing behind a new state law that bans public agencies and businesses from mandating “vaccine passports” even though the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed Indiana University’s vaccine mandate to remain in place.
“Every case has different facts and legal arguments, and while we weren’t involved in the Indiana case and won’t comment on that, we are confident in the legal basis of SB 2006,” Christina Pushaw, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press secretary, said in an email to the Florida Record.
Senate Bill 2006 precludes businesses and government entities in Florida from mandating that people show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations prior to entry or service.
In the Indiana University case, a request to Justice Amy Coney Barrett to stop the university from requiring its students to be vaccinated was denied on Aug. 12. Attorneys for Indiana University students had argued that the mandate for all students to get the COVID-19 vaccine “violated their constitutional rights to bodily integrity and autonomy and medical treatment choice.”
The university’s policy does include exemptions based on verified religious, medical or ethical reasons.
“The data shows that the vaccines generally work well to prevent serious illness from COVID-19,” Pushaw said. “However, some people may choose not to get a COVID-19 vaccination due to health, religious or other personal reasons. Floridians have the right to medical privacy, which is why Gov. DeSantis banned invasive ‘vaccine passports.’”
Floridians’ vaccination records represent private health information that should not be shared as a result of a business’s or government agency’s mandate, she said.
“Vaccine passports reduce individual freedom and harm patient privacy,” Pushaw said.
Allowing businesses and schools to require vaccine passports would create a two-tiered society and would unfairly affect families of younger children, who are not eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, she said.
“The decision to get a COVID vaccine should be up to individuals, who have the power to make the right choices for themselves and their families,” Pushaw said. “The government’s role is to provide information about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, and help people get the vaccines if they so choose. That’s what the state of Florida has done.”