Health Care

mRNA vaccine skepticism sparks wave of proposed restrictions

Dozens of bills were introduced this year in state legislatures.

Stephanie Akin

06:00 AM, Sep 23, 2025

This image from video provided by the Department of Health and Human Services shows HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Food and Drug Administration administrator Dr. Martin Makary, left, and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, as they announce that the government would no longer endorse the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children or pregnant women. (Health and Human Services via AP)

State lawmakers are preparing for a wave of bills targeting mRNA vaccines in 2026, after at least three dozen proposals were introduced nationwide this year. 

The push reflects growing skepticism about the technology in some Republican circles and the policy shifts currently being made by the Trump administration.

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