A national survey conducted by McLaughlin & Associates-Summit.org found 75% of Americans believe the government does not have the right to force people to participate in practices that violate their religious beliefs. Sixty percent say that religious exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine should be protected. Only 27% disagreed.
Advocates for vaccine mandates—led by the Biden Administration—are apparently unconcerned that the mandates are likely to drive down total employment and reduce access to government services.
In spring of 2021, we were told that our decision to volunteer to get the “optional” COVID-19 vaccine would not negatively affect our time as a cadet at West Point. That turned out to be a false promise.
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block a vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in Maine, which thus went into effect that day. The particularly strict mandate has a medical exemption but not a religious one. While the majority on the Court did not give an opinion, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote a dissent that was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, as highlighted by Robert Barnes with The Washington Post.
Southwest Airlines dropped a plan to put unvaccinated workers with pending exemptions on unpaid leave after a December 8 deadline following protests by their employees.
