Wisconsin defies CDC, keeps pushing COVID shots for pregnant women and kids despite safety concerns
By isabelle // 2025-06-11
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  • Wisconsin defies updated CDC guidance by continuing to recommend COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women and children as young as six months.
  • The CDC now advises individualized decisions for children and no longer pushes vaccines for pregnant women, citing a lack of new supporting data.
  • Florida praises the CDC’s shift, calling it evidence-based, while Wisconsin faces criticism for lacking clinical proof for its stance.
  • Critics highlight that COVID-19 vaccines for children and pregnant women lack long-term safety data, fueling distrust in public health institutions.
  • The conflicting recommendations deepen debates over medical freedom, transparency, and whether state policies prioritize science or bureaucratic inertia.
In a bold departure from federal guidance, Wisconsin health officials are doubling down on their recommendation that pregnant women and children as young as six months receive COVID-19 vaccines, despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) abandoning its universal endorsement of the shots. The move has reignited debates over medical autonomy, informed consent, and the politicization of public health, as critics question whether the state’s stance is grounded in science or bureaucratic inertia. While the CDC now advises individualized decisions for children and no longer pushes vaccines for pregnant women, Wisconsin insists the shots prevent severe illness and death. State officials cite an "independent review" of federal recommendations, though they provided no new clinical data to justify their position. Meanwhile, Florida’s health leaders applauded the CDC’s updated guidance, calling it a step toward evidence-based medicine in a striking contrast to Wisconsin’s unwavering support for an unproven vaccine strategy.

State doubles down as CDC shifts course

On June 4, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced it would continue recommending COVID-19 vaccines for all residents aged six months and older, including pregnant women. Kirsten Johnson, the department’s secretary, declared the shots "an important tool in preventing severe illness and death," despite the CDC’s May decision to drop its blanket recommendation for these groups. The CDC’s updated guidance now states that healthy children should only receive the vaccine after consultation with doctors and parents, emphasizing "informed consent through the clinical judgement of their healthcare provider." For pregnant women, the agency no longer advises vaccination in a reversal that Wisconsin officials dismissed, claiming the federal change was "not made based on new data, evidence, or scientific or medical studies." Wisconsin’s defiance ignores critical unknowns. The current Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax vaccines were approved in 2024 based on animal studies and antibody responses, not human clinical trials. CDC data presented in April showed modest protection but offered no long-term safety data for pregnant women or infants.

Florida praises CDC while Wisconsin digs in

Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo hailed the CDC’s updated guidance as "an important advancement for parents, physicians, and children," adding that "scientific evidence dictates that the use of these products should end for all populations." His statement underscored a growing divide between states prioritizing medical freedom and those adhering to legacy pandemic policies. Wisconsin, however, remains an outlier. The state’s Medicaid program will still cover the vaccine for pregnant women and children, despite the CDC’s retreat. When pressed for evidence supporting the shots’ efficacy, the Wisconsin DHS did not respond. Critics note that past recommendations for children lacked clinical data, as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pointed out, calling prior mandates unscientific. The American Pharmacists Association, meanwhile, broke ranks with the CDC, refusing to endorse the updated adult immunization schedule. The group claimed COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is "safe and effective," despite the CDC’s reversal in a contradiction that highlights the confusion permeating public health messaging. CDC data shows only 14% of pregnant women have received the latest shot, reflecting widespread hesitancy. Patrick Remington, an emeritus professor at UW-Madison’s medical school, acknowledged the discord risks eroding public trust. "When you see disagreement between the federal government and experts, sometimes the public throws up their hands and says, 'If they can’t agree, I don’t believe anything,'" he said. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), whose members were recently dismissed by Kennedy, is set to meet in June to revisit COVID-19 vaccine guidance. Until then, Wisconsin’s stance leaves families navigating a maze of conflicting advice with no clear answers on how the shots affect fetal development or long-term child health. Wisconsin’s insistence on universal COVID-19 vaccination for vulnerable groups, going against the tide of federal updates, raises urgent questions about who dictates medical choices: patients, doctors, or state agencies. As Florida embraces individualized care and the CDC walks back its mandates, Wisconsin’s rigid stance risks alienating families seeking unbiased information. With trust in public health at a crossroads, the debate transcends vaccines. It’s a battle over transparency, bodily autonomy, and whether institutions will prioritize people over dogma. For now, Wisconsin’s pregnant women and parents must weigh the state’s assurances against a growing chorus of skepticism and decide whose guidance they trust.   Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com JSOnline.com WEAU.com
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