And one of the reasons for that is if they if theyre between the ages of 17 and 23, and theyre not vaccinated, were not even willing to talk to them. And so theyre basically closing off an entire segment of society in a discriminatory manner. Given the prevailing public health guidelines and the state of the virus, there is currently no intention to require universal vaccination of all service members, Ross said. Military Services Will Amend COVID Vaccine Refuser Records So They Aren CBC News reached out multiple times to Galati, who is listed as the spokesperson for the lawsuit in a press release issued by Vaccine Choice Canada. Another plaintiff is fighting in court after trying to retire one alternative to vaccination the Air Force offered. The Navy granted another 500 administrative exemptions, including temporary waivers for sailors planning to leave the service or in the middle of a permanent change-of-station move, for example. Most of the plaintiffs express some sort of Christian faith, though the vast majority of denominations have no formal ban on vaccination. Yet another lawsuit challenging military's - Federal News Network Plaintiffs sincerely held religious beliefs that their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and that they are to glorify God with their bodies lays the foundation for everything they do, consume, or inject into their bodies, according to the Florida lawsuit. Our military, I mean, you can open any news feed that you want. Federal judge temporarily halts Air Force's COVID-19 vaccine mandate WASHINGTON (AP) A bill to rescind the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members of the U.S. military and provide nearly $858 billion for national defense passed the House on Thursday as. The Navy SEALS filed their lawsuit in November of 2021, describing what they saw as a cumbersome 50-step process to obtain religious exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine. The first military COVID-19 vaccine mandate will take effect in November. Then in April, the WHO warned that supplier Bharat Biotech had stopped production because of deficiencies in good manufacturing practices.. The Navy already denied these exemptions, but O'Connor. Military officials announced this week that, after months of warnings, they have . More than 60 service members have joined lawsuits against the U.S. government, alleging that the military's process for awarding religious vaccine exemptions is a sham. All of the military services are currently reworking their policies to adjust separation and promotion records for service members who refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine, after the Pentagon ended the inoculation mandate last month. Military service members have. The question is, whats the bigger risk to readiness: Discharging skilled, expensively trained service members for refusing to get vaccinated, or allowing them to continue serving with the potential to become infected with COVID-19, experience serious illness and potentially long-lasting side effects? Thousands of U.S. military defy COVID-19 vaccine order - Los Angeles Times A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction on Monday blocking the Defense Department from taking action against a group of 35 Navy sailors who had refused to get a coronavirus vaccine,. The Biden Administration has previously admitted that it is not the federal government's role to enforce vaccine mandates. Trident Order #12 also implemented the COVID-19 vaccine mandate at the command level for Naval Special Warfare forces, setting a deadline of compliance for October 17, 2021," the SEALs' legal team . There is no COVID-19 exception to the First Amendment. So our lawsuit is really predicated on on the argument that this is all a sham, that the Air Force is not following the Constitution. Our lawsuit is certainly centered on religious exemption, but our lawsuit is broader than that to block the mandate in general of a non-FDA approved product, Staver said. The next stop in the litigation is likely to be an appeal by the Department of Defense and the Biden administration to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. Troops who refused COVID vaccine still may face discipline The US military has approved religious exemptions to its Covid-19 vaccine mandate for 15 service members out of approximately 16,000 requests, according to the latest data from the services. A U.S. Navy officer is suing the leaders of the Defense Department and the Navy because they have denied his waiver requests to exempt him from getting the mandated COVID-19 vaccine. Similar to the Navy, the Marine Corps is no longer stopping unvaccinated Marines from deployments. "We are grateful for the support of the Legislature and the Governor in the State's efforts to block the . Quite the contrary, they view life whether their own or that of their fellow servicemembers as sacred and deserving protection.. I think that a process that is not a sham looks a little bit something like the military regardless of what branch were talking about, takes an honest look and says okay, what is this persons job or their function? In the Navy, none of more than 4,000 religious exemptions had been approved, but there were about 252 temporary and 11 permanent medical exemptions. And yet were short, were saying that were having a hard time recruiting people. Their objections to the vaccine fall into one of four categories, according to their complaint, including opposition to abortion and the use of fetal cell lines in pharmaceutical development, belief that body modification violates their religious principles, direct, divine instruction not to receive the vaccine, or declining to inject trace amounts of animal cells into ones body.. You got a preliminary injunction in that case and a favorable ruling from the Fifth Circuit. Im happy to take that one from you. The . It is not yet clear how the various services will handle pending lawsuits that sprang up in the years following the Pentagon's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Theyre not following their own regulations. Jared Serbu: Got it. Kevin Stitt has pushed back on the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the military that would apply to the Oklahoma National Guard. The service members sued this week to vacate a Pentagon vaccine mandate for all those in the military, arguing they face imminent harm if a court order isn't issued temporarily blocking the. Theyre not pleasant. So I think that if one of these cases does end up in front of the Supreme Court, it will probably be addressed just on the narrow vaccine issue. Pentagon: Judge's halt of vaccine mandate for - Stars and Stripes Is there any assurance on the record, that there will be no deployment decisions based on vaccination? Judge James Ho, one of three judges hearing the case asked Department of Justice lawyer Casen Ross. The law says that sincerely held religious beliefs are to be taken at face value. Feb. 23, 2023. The Army also announced in a Friday press release that ongoing reviews of COVID vaccine exemption requests, records of soldiers who requested COVID vaccine exemptions, vaccine requirements for accessions or pre-commissioning programs, and travel restrictions based solely on COVID vaccination status will be removed or amended. Court Delivers Win to Military Members Denied Religious Exemptions From Pentagon Vaccine Mandate, SCOTUS 101: Student Loans and Major Questions, Unpacking the Oral Arguments Against Bidens Student Loan Cancellation, Appeals Court Steals Show on ERA Amid Senate Panels Bid to Resurrect Dead Amendment, the Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments. Im very confident that this case going to the Supreme Court, Mat Staver whose Liberty Counsel represents plaintiffs in the Florida case told Military Times on Tuesday. So everywhere else in society has been able to figure this out, but our military hasnt because they take such an iron fisted, draconian approach to everything. If you want to swap with me, and they do that through the employer, or their employer offers that. The new policy guidance to the services makes no mention of reinstating service members who were separated from the military for refusing the shot. Hubbard Radio Washington DC, LLC. When you treat people who have a medical exemption for more favorably than you treat somebody who has a religious exemption, that is textbook discrimination, and thats whats happening. House Republicans warn about loss of public trust after COVID lockdowns (Susan Walsh/AP, File). Theyre not following federal law. Details emerge of Vaccine Choice Canada lawsuit over coronavirus - CBC More than 800 unvaccinated service members have been ousted from the Air Force so far. They become the exception and not the norm. Its just such an inappropriate position for the government to be in.. Other federal court challenges to various COVID-19 vaccine mandates are ongoing. The vaccine mandate divided Americans and has remained a contentious political issue. Judge tosses lawsuit over military vaccination mandate | Coronavirus From this foundation they make studied and reasonable decisions about what is good and what is not good or may not be good for their bodies.. Each of those shots also involves cell tissue derived from fetuses, as does one version of the rabies vaccine. Religious exemption for COVID vaccine: Does military mandate offer one In other words, its usually ill-advised to take an opinion on one subject or one issue, and then try to extrapolate and say and that and say, Well, that should apply across the board to all issues. I mean, all of it is just fraught with ideological purpose, and suspected purpose.. Are there major differences here? They argue that their. The Texas lawsuit also states the plaintiffs are willing to continue to wear masks, social distance and take mandatory COVID-19 tests, rather than get vaccinated. Commercial airlines has said, you know what, were gonna lift the mask mandate. Produced by Will Reid , Rob Szypko . Top Pentagon officials do not plan to alter their current "lawful orders" requiring the coronavirus shots for troops, unless they are granted waivers for medical or religious purposes, the. Mike Barry: Probably not at the Supreme Court level. Need help accessing the FCC Public File due to a disability? The Department of the Air Force, which also issues guidance for the Space Force, has detailed it will be rescinding letters of admonishment, counseling or reprimand; records of individual counseling; nonjudicial punishments; and current involuntary discharge proceedings connected to vaccine refusal. Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. "This vaccine mandate is unlawful and does not reflect the Land of the Free," said General O'Connor. Court documents show that two plaintiffs in Doster v. Kendall took the two-dose Covaxin vaccine, created in India, to comply with the Pentagons requirement. They will also have to make the case that vaccinating, or involuntarily discharging, every service member is the least restrictive means of keeping the force safe from COVID-19, rather than enforcing masking or social distancing or in some cases, grandfathering in troops who acquired some immunity after catching COVID-19. For OConnor, the violation ofthe lawwas clear: Defendants have substantially burdened Plaintiffs religious beliefs. Department of Justice seeks dismissal of military vaccine lawsuit While it allowed service members to apply for religious exemptions to the mandate, it has not granted a single one. While vials contain the same formula, some have made the argument that because providers are still giving the emergency-use Pfizer version, no one can be compelled to get vaccinated until the Comirnaty-labeled vials are in circulation. How large is the class? Theres yet another lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the militarys COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The plaintiffs argue that violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the First Amendment. Navy officer sues DOD, Navy leaders over COVID vaccine - Navy Times But Im willing to do that. Navy COVID-19 Vaccine Separations Drop as Injunction Takes Hold The Florida filing also spends much more time on the biographies of the complainants. As part of the exemption process, service members are required to meet with a chaplain to work through their concerns. Per FDA guidance, these two vaccines are interchangeable and DoD health care providers should use doses distributed under the EUA to administer the vaccination series as if the doses were the licensed vaccine, " she wrote. Nor do they mention the host of common medications that also use these stem cells, including Tylenol, Advil/Motrin, aspirin, Tums, Pepto Bismol, Benadryl, Sudafed and Claritin. The number of exemptions has fluctuated over the last several months as some people decided to get the shots or leave the service instead of seeking accommodation. Right? WASHINGTON The Air Force has discharged 27 people for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, making them what officials believe are the first service members to be removed for disobeying the. Military Leaders Called To Testify About Impact Of COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Still, the organization said Covaxin is still a safe and effective product. ), the Washington Post, and others. However, vaccine opponents note that commanders can still make decisions on how and whether to deploy unvaccinated troops, under a memo signed last month by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. That means that this is quickly becoming a national security concern. Alleged spikes in medical conditions among the military after COVID-19 At 1,038, the Marine Corps leads the military branches for the most separations. When I meet my maker, Im going to be held responsible for the decisions Ive made, and Id much rather go to prison, Stapanon testified in March. Whats clear is that the COVID-19 has broken open a bit of a wormhole in the military. The military across the board is discriminating discriminating against people of faith. Just because the plaintiffs identify as a member of one religion or another doesnt mean they need to follow every tradition, according to Griffin, the former Coast Guard lawyer, nor would they need to justify why they are religiously opposed to the COVID-19 vaccine in particular. Rabies shots are required only for some service members in certain career fields. And now people will be able to take the analysis Supreme Court used and say, Okay, the way that they analyzed this issue, that might give us some indication of how they would analyze other issues, right. Technology Artificial Intelligence Ask the CIO Automation Big Data CIO News Cloud Computing Cybersecurity IT Modernization Open Data/Transparency Reporter's Notebook Defense On DoD Army Navy Air Force In late August, Pfizers vaccine received full approval under the brand name Comirnaty. House passes defense bill scrapping military's Covid vaccine mandate A 5th Circuit panel rejected the Biden administrations request to block the judges order. The Marine Corps separated 165 Marines over the past week due to their refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19. And so of course, that means you have to bring different lawsuits on behalf of people, depending on what branch of the military that theyre in. Those records are supposed to be cleared by March 31, according to the guidance. DOD Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Gilbert R. Cisneros Jr., In one of many ongoing federal lawsuits challenging COVID-19 vaccine mandates across the country, Judge Reed O'Connor of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a group . Pope Francis has called vaccination against COVID-19 a moral obligation and an act of love., Frequently people let themselves be influenced by the ideology of the moment, often bolstered by baseless information or poorly documented facts, he said in January, adding that vaccines are not a magical means of healing, yet surely they represent, in addition to other treatments that need to be developed, the most reasonable solution for the prevention of the disease.. The prospect of dishonorable discharges has been a concern for some against vaccine mandates, but that type of discharge can only be handed down through a court-martial conviction. "It hasn't done it yet. Hey you have the Friday night shift, right? Air Force vaccine case will remain a class-action, appeals court rules Mike Barry is senior counsel at First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit legal group that focuses on religious liberty issues. ", -- Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report. And I have yet to hear of a single flight being canceled because there was a COVID outbreak at 30,000 feet. Theyll accept that alternative and say, okay, you know, Im willing to do that instead. All the things that, you know, that the Navy was doing to harass and punish sailors we basically wanted that to all stop, Mike Berry, a former Marine judge advocate and now vice president at First Liberty Institute, which represents the Texas plaintiffs, told Military Times on Wednesday. It also allows them to restrict sailors' movement "in order to comply with host nation quarantine regulations.". The Florida case began with a Navy and Marine Corps officer in 2021, but has soon ballooned to 36 plaintiffs from all military branches as well as some civilian Defense Department employees. The NAVADMIN, referencing the injunction, prevents adverse action against sailors who will not get the COVID-19 vaccine and submitted a religious exemptions request. The three coronavirus vaccines currently available in the United Statesthe Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and, as of Saturday, the Johnson & Johnson versionsare approved on "emergency use.