Governor Ron DeSantis Signs the Strongest Legislation in the Nation for Medical Freedom

DESTIN, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed four pieces of legislation that protect Floridians from medical mandates, empower doctors, and prohibit dangerous gain of function research. Through these comprehensive pieces of legislation, Governor DeSantis codified permanent COVID-19 protections in the state and positioned Florida as the national leader for medical freedom. For more information, click here.

The landmark legislative package signed today safeguards residents’ freedom by ensuring no patient is forced by a business, school, or government entity to undergo testing, wear a mask, or be vaccinated for COVID-19. The legislation also affords medical professionals the freedom to collaborate with patients in prescribing alternative treatments and protects physicians’ freedom of speech. Lastly, Florida is the first state to ban unsafe and unregulated gain-of-function research, like the research conducted in the Wuhan lab.

“Our early actions during the pandemic protected Floridians and their freedoms,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “We protected the rights of Floridians to make decisions for themselves and their children and rejected COVID theater, narratives, and hysteria in favor of truth and data. These expanded protections will help ensure that medical authoritarianism does not take root in Florida.”

“Governor DeSantis has been a pinnacle for freedom, and today we advance the cause of public health and individual autonomy in medical decisions,” said State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. “From empowering patients to safeguarding children in schools, Florida continues to enshrine individual liberty and lead with common sense.”

• Prohibiting business and governmental entities from requiring individuals to provide proof of vaccination or post-infection recovery from any disease to gain access to, entry upon, or service from such entities.
• Prohibiting employers from refusing employment to or discharging, disciplining, demoting, or otherwise discriminating against an individual solely on the basis of vaccination or immunity status.
• Prevents discrimination against Floridians related to COVID-19 vaccination or immunity status, etc.

House Bill 1387 – Banning Gain of Function Research:

• Prohibiting “gain of function” research, also known as enhanced potential pandemic pathogen research.

Senate Bill 1580 – Physicians Freedom of Speech:

• Providing that health care providers and health care payors have the right to opt out of participation in or payment for certain health care services on the basis of conscience-based objections.
• Providing requirements for a health care provider’s notice and documentation of such objection.
• Providing whistle-blower protections for health care providers and health care payors that take certain actions or disclose certain information relating to the reporting of certain violations.
• Prohibiting boards, or the Department of Health if there is no board, from taking disciplinary action against or denying a license to an individual based solely on specified conduct, etc.

Senate Bill 238 – Public Records/Protection from Discrimination Based on Health Care Choices

• Providing an exemption from public records requirements for certain information relating to complaints or investigations regarding violations of provisions protecting from discrimination based on health care choices.

This information was provided to Tidings Media by the office of Governor Ron DeSantis and is reprinted with permission.