- Florida's Attorney General James Uthmeier has threatened to pull state funding from Catholic schools if they do not grant religious exemptions for vaccine requirements.
- Uthmeier sent a letter to the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops (FCCB) on July 31, expressing concern that some schools might deny religious exemptions based on a position from the National Catholic Bioethics Center.
- The Attorney General stated that state law requires both public and private schools to offer religious objections to vaccine policies, regardless of the Catholic Church's stance on vaccine production.
- Failure to comply could jeopardize state educational scholarship programs, which are crucial for over 95 percent of students attending Catholic schools in Miami.
- This move is part of a larger effort by Florida lawmakers, including Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, to challenge vaccine mandates, despite warnings from health and education experts about potential public health risks.
IN FULL
Florida threatens to defund Catholic schools unless they allow students to opt out of vaccines
