Whooping cough surged in Mississippi last year, ultimately claiming the life of a baby " the first whooping cough death in the state in 13 years. Incidents of parents opting out of vaccinations for religious reasons " a choice introduced in the wake of Judge Sul Ozerden's 2023 ruling " have also surged. Kindergarten vaccination rates this year dropped to the lowest level in years. The campaign to change the rules in Mississippi " and to use that victory to make change across the nation " was years in the making, orchestrated in part by two men with close ties to the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr: Del Bigtree of the Texas-based Informed Consent Action Network, or Ican, and Ican's lawyer, Aaron Siri.