Dear Friend of the Family,
You’d be forgiven for thinking that people of faith are now “out of the woods” when it comes to vaccines and religious liberty issues. After all, the COVID pandemic is over and talk of vaccine mandates has largely (though not entirely) dissipated. Unfortunately, however, we still hear from supporters regularly who are actively being discriminated against in employment, at school, and even at the doctor’s office because their religious beliefs will not allow them to take certain vaccines.
We are happy to report that last month, we were able to protect the conscience rights of a young Christian mom who did not wish to give vaccines that were developed using aborted fetal cell lines to her infant daughters. This mom reached out to us asking for help after she was told by her pediatrician’s office that her 6-month-old and 2-year-old daughters would no longer be welcome at the practice because they did not have all their vaccines. While the mom explained her sincerely held religious beliefs and even obtained a letter of support from her pastor, the practice still refused to reinstate her daughters as patients. Because her baby daughter had a respiratory condition, she needed ongoing medical care. But the practice’s discrimination meant that the mom was forced to take her daughter to the emergency room a number of times instead of to the doctor’s office.
When we heard about this injustice, we immediately sent a demand letter to the practice. We pointed out that this mom had a legal right to be free from religious discrimination in public accommodations like doctor’s offices. By kicking out her daughters because of her family’s religious beliefs, the practice was engaging in such discrimination – especially since it had numerous patients who were unvaccinated for medical reasons. If the practice could accommodate kids with medical exemptions from vaccines, it had to accommodate our client’s religious beliefs. We made clear that if it did not, we would take swift legal action.
After negotiations with their attorney, we were able to convince the practice that it would be better to accommodate this mom and her daughters than to face a costly lawsuit. MFI’s advocacy ensured that these two little girls will have access to the quality medical care that they deserve, free from discrimination. If you or someone you know has experienced similar anti-religious bias, we would love to help. Contact us at [email protected].
For our Families,
Sam Whiting, Staff Attorney
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