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Is a vaccine a matter of science or religion? As the Biden administration is pushing the Covid-19 vaccine mandate, deniers have turned to religion to seek exemptions under a special provision. A court has ruled in their favor too.
Amid the Delta resurgence, the administration is desperate to increase the immunity coverage, and has made vaccination mandatory for executive branch employees and employees of larger businesses, covering about 100 million Americans. Some states and cities have also taken similar measures.
New York State Department of Health, for example, requires all healthcare workers to take two shots by September 27. To plug any loopholes, it also required employers to deny/revoke religious exemptions for the vaccine. But 17 Catholic and Baptist medical professionals went to court seeking to prevent the state from enforcing the mandate. A federal judge has now issued a restraining order, temporarily suspending NY State from enforcing its vaccine mandate if health care workers claim a religious exemption. (https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/14/us/new-york-covid-vaccine-mandate-lawsuit/index.html)
Some 3,000 LAPD employees have sought exemption from the vaccine mandate on religious grounds. Thousands of employees of Washington state are seeking the same. (https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-health-religion-los-angeles-arkansas-3ba53f2f00e1ab7105d7d128f2b1e65d)
There’s a pastor, Jackson Lahmeyer, who is encouraging people to donate to his church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and become online members, and he would sign a religious exemption certificate for them. (He is running in the Republican primary challenge in 2022.) (https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/09/15/pastor-donate-vaccine-religious-exemption/)
The exemption provision comes from the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, which asks employers to make reasonable accommodations for employees who object to work requirements because of “sincerely held” religious beliefs.
Vaccines have been a matter of religious debate in many places, in history. But this time, the Vatican’s doctrine office too has said it is “morally acceptable” for Catholics to receive Covid-19 vaccines that are derived from aborted fetuses. Pope Francis has said it would be “suicide” not to get the shot, and he has been fully vaccinated with the Pfizer version.
There is a larger debate of science-vs-religion over vaccines, but in this case it is more of a dodge for most. (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/religious-exemption-covid-vaccine-mandate/) And (mis)using religion for this purpose can create obstacles in the battle against Covid-19.