Nearly 3,000 Los Angeles Police Department personnel are citing religious objections to trying and opting out of required COVID-19 vaccinations. In Washington state, thousands of state workers are demanding similar exemptions.
And an Arkansas hospital is inundated with so many requests from staff that it’s clearly calling their hoax.
Religious objections, once nationwide, to exemptions from various essential vaccines are becoming a more widely used loophole against the Covid-19 shot.
And that is only likely to increase after President Joe Biden’s sweeping new vaccine mandate covers more than 100 million Americans, including executive branch employees and employees of businesses with more than 100 people on the payroll.
The administration acknowledges that a small minority of Americans will use religious exemptions — and some may want to exploit. But it said it believed even a modest improvement in vaccination rates would save lives.
It is unclear how many federal employees have asked for religious exemptions, although union officials say there will be many requests. The Labor Department has said that accommodation can be denied if the employer is unreasonably burdened.
various discounts
In the US, requirements for masks and vaccines vary, but most provide exemptions for certain medical conditions or religious or philosophical objections. The use of such exemptions, especially by parents on behalf of their school children, has been on the rise over the past decade.
The allowance was enshrined in the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, which states that employers must make reasonable accommodations for employees who object to work requirements because of “honestly held” religious beliefs.
A religious belief does not need to be recognized by an organized religion according to rules set by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and it can be new, unusual or “may seem illogical or inappropriate to others”. But it cannot be founded only on political or social considerations.
This puts employers in a position to determine what is legitimate religious belief and what is hoax.
controversial commentary
Many major religious denominations have no objection to COVID-19 vaccines. But the rollout has prompted heated debate because of the long-standing role of cell lines derived directly or indirectly from embryonic tissue, in the research and development of various vaccines and drugs.
Roman Catholic leaders in New Orleans and St. Louis called Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 shot “morally compromised”. J&J has insisted that its vaccine does not contain fetal tissue.
In addition, the Vatican’s Doctrine Office has said that it is “ethically acceptable” for Catholics to receive COVID-19 vaccines that are based on research that uses cells obtained from aborted fetuses. Pope Francis himself has said that not getting shot would be “suicide”, and he has been fully vaccinated from the PFITogetheris the formula.
religious objections
In New York, state lawmakers have attempted to make the vaccine mandatory for medical workers, without any religious exemptions. On Tuesday, a federal judge blocked the state from enacting the rule to give a group of workers time to argue it was illegal because it lacked an opt-out.
An August AP-NORC survey found that 58 percent of white evangelical Protestants, 72 percent of white mainline Protestants, 80 percent of Catholics and 73 percent of Americans who are religiously unaffiliated say they have been vaccinated. Seventy percent of non-white Protestants say they have been, including 70 percent of black Protestants.
Across the US, government officials, doctors and community leaders are trying to help people bypass COVID-19 mask and vaccine requirements.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, Pastor Jackson is offering a “religious waiver” form on his church’s website for download, with links to suggested donations for Lahmeyer Church. The 29-year-old is running for the US Senate as a Republican.
Anyone interested can obtain a form signed by a religious leader, or Lahmeyer can sign it himself if the person joins the church and makes a donation. He said over 35,000 people downloaded the form in just three days.
“We’re not anti-vax. We’re just pro-independence,” Lahmeyer said. “Many of these people who have signed up … have already had the vaccine. They don’t think it’s right to force someone else.” Go or lose your job.”
But obtaining a religious exemption is not as simple as preparing a signed form. Outbreaks of measles in schools over the past decade have prompted some states to change their policies. Some now require an actual signed affidavit from a religious leader instead of an online form. California got rid of the nonmedical exemption in 2015.
Some employers are taking a tougher line. United Airlines told employees last week that those who receive religious exemptions will be placed on unpaid leave until new coronavirus testing procedures are in place.
In Los Angeles, Police Chief Michelle Moore said she is awaiting guidance from the city’s personnel department regarding exemptions. The city has mandated that municipal employees be vaccinated by October 5, unless they are granted medical or religious exemptions. A group of LAPD employees are suing the policy.
“Let me be very clear: We will not tolerate the abuse of these exemptions by people who simply do not want to be vaccinated,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “For anyone thinking of filing a fraudulent waiver request, I strongly urge you to reconsider.”
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In Washington state, about 60,000 state workers are subject to a mandate issued by Gov. Jay Inslee that they will be fully vaccinated by October 18 or lose their jobs, unless they receive a medical or religious exemption. do not and do not receive an accommodation that allows them to live. employees.
As of Tuesday, more than 3,800 workers had requested religious exemptions. So far, 737 have been approved, but officials stressed that the exemption does not guarantee continued employment.
Once the waiver is approved, each agency must evaluate whether the employee can work with the accommodations while ensuring a safe workplace. So far seven houses have been sanctioned.
Inslee’s spokeswoman Tara Lee said the process “can help differentiate between a sincerely held personal belief and a sincerely held religious belief.”
Conway Regional Health System
In Arkansas, about 5 percent of employees of the privately operated Conway Regional Health System have requested a religious or medical exemption.
The hospital responded by sending staff a form that listed a number of common drugs, including Tylenol, Pepto-Bismol, Preparation H and Tums, that it said had been developed or tested using embryonic cell lines.
The form asks people to sign it and certify that “my sincerely held religious beliefs are consistent and true and I will not or will not use any of the drugs listed”.
In a statement, Conway Regional Health President and CEO Matt Troup said: “Staff who are conscientious … should have no hesitation in agreeing to the list of medicines listed.”
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