Florida's Surgeon General Blames a Debunked Abortion Vaccine Claim to Explain Measles Surge

Key Points:

• Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo reiterated support for measles vaccination but suggested some students at a Catholic university avoided the vaccine due to its development involving cells from an aborted fetus, a misleading claim often used by anti-vaccination groups.
• Measles cases in the U.S. have surged this year, with Florida reporting at least 141 cases, many linked to Ave Maria University; Ladapo attempted to explain the outbreak by referencing the vaccine’s controversial origins.
• The claim that measles vaccines contain fetal cells is inaccurate; while the rubella component was developed using cell lines from two aborted fetuses in the 1960s, no fetal tissue is present in current vaccines, and the Catholic Church endorses vaccination when no alternatives exist.
• Ladapo has a history of promoting scientifically unsupported views on vaccines, including questioning COVID-19 vaccine safety and opposing vaccine mandates, and has proposed removing Florida’s school vaccine requirements despite widespread criticism.