The Florida Surgeon General has made headlines for proposing a policy scrapping vaccine mandates, proudly placing politics over Floridians’ health. And while this may sound like just another “Florida Man” story, Arizona shouldn’t shrug off the lunacy—because our state legislature is showing signs of catching the same anti-science cold. Worryingly, some Arizona lawmakers have been busy reposting to their social media Florida’s vaccine rollback announcement like it’s an achievement — not a public health disaster in the making. 

Here’s the thing: when one state signals that facts and science don’t matter, others take it as permission to do the same. And Arizona has already proven itself particularly vulnerable to the virus of misinformation about childhood vaccines, which have prevented outbreaks of diseases that would destroy our daycares, schools, medical system and our state economy. Over the past few years, our state lawmakers have proposed bills not on increasing access or confidence in vaccines, but instead imposing barriers to strong immunization policy and actively discouraging vaccines, under the guise of “informed choice.” Chipping away at the wall of community immunity—state by state, bad bill by bad bill—puts us all at risk, and is nothing that should be celebrated or replicated.

If Arizona decides to follow Florida down this path, we’re opening the door to outbreaks that could have been prevented. Lower vaccination rates mean higher risks for the elderly, newborns, cancer patients, and others who depend on herd immunity to stay safe. And once a disease starts spreading, no amount of finger-pointing will undo the damage. And all this is set against the backdrop of an active measles outbreak in Mohave County, where their school immunization rates are well-below the level needed to create community immunity from disease. Many other counties could be next. 

And it doesn’t just stop at schools! Picture this: you’re on the table for open-heart surgery, and no one can say for sure whether your surgeon is vaccinated — against anything. Bloodborne diseases? Respiratory infections? Who knows! You should be able to focus on getting well, not catching something and getting sicker. Some lawmakers want to frame their views on vaccines as a question of freedom. I call nonsense. You don’t get to redefine “freedom” as the right to endanger your neighbors or to trick people into thinking that the risks of vaccines and the risk of diseases are the same. Unequivocally, they are not. Diseases are dangerous, vaccines are safe. 

Parents, we need to be prepared for the scenario that our lawmakers could propose to end our vaccine requirements in this state. Don’t let lawmakers make our state less safe for ourselves and our babies. Arizona, don’t Florida this scenario up.

Ashley Chambers is a lawyer and executive director at Arizona Families for Vaccines, a bipartisan nonprofit focused on building a grassroots, pro-public health movement in Arizona.