STATEMENT BY CHURCH @ THE ROCK ELDERS CONCERNING COERCED ACCEPTANCE OF COVID-19 VACCINES
Roger Williams may be one of the least known, but one of the most influential of the Founding Fathers in America. He gave to America the principle of the freedom of “conscience.” In 1633, it was Williams who brought to light the heart of the key biblical principle of the relationship between the State and the individual, stating in crystal clear terms, “Forced worship stinks!” In other words, the State cannot tell an individual or church how to worship.
Many Christians today are now in a similar place with the growing threat of forced compliance to the COVID-19 vaccine. The elders here at Church @ the Rock see that our religious liberties are being slowly taken away and we are standing against this trend.
Church @ the Rock hereby sets forth its sincerely held beliefs and proscriptions against the following cited COVID-19 Vaccines:
Bases of the Position:
Church @ the Rock holds to the sanctity of human life at all stages from conception, and it holds to the absolute inadmissibility of medicines/pharmaceuticals prepared using fetal therapy.
The Elders believe it to be definitely inadmissible to use the methods of so-called fetal therapy, in which the human fetus at various stages of its development is aborted and used in attempts to treat various diseases and to “rejuvenate” an organism. Denouncing abortion as a sin, the Elders cannot find any justification for it even if someone may possibly benefit from the destruction of a conceived human life. Contributing inevitably to ever-wider spread and commercialization of abortion, this practice presents an example of glaring immorality and is spiritually criminal as a violation of Divine Law.
Church @ the Rock Elders firmly hold that Scripture defines appropriate Christian behavior. Because of this, it would be a violation of our faith to receive the following coronavirus vaccines:
- Pfizer and BioNTech – The Pfizer Vaccine was protein tested using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is recorded by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Moderna – The Moderna Vaccine was protein tested using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is cited by the vaccine researchers Kizzmekia S. Corbett, Darin K. Edwards, and Sarah R. Leist.
- Johnson & Johnson – The J&J Vaccine has publicly admitted to using a cell line called PER.C6. This is published on the Janssen website. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute.
- Sputnik V – The Sputnik V Vaccine cites their manufacturers as using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293.
- AstraZeneca – AstraZeneca was developed using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is also contained in documents permitting its emergency use in the United Kingdom.
- Vaxart – Vaxart was produced with the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is recorded by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Altimmune – The Altimmune vaccine was produced and developed with the abortion-derived cell line PER.C6. This information is recorded by Altimmune’s own Clinical Trial Protocol. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute.
- COVAXX and United Biomedical – COVAXX was protein tested using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is recorded by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Medicago – The Medicago Vaccine was protein tested using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is recorded by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Novavax – The Novavax Vaccine was protein tested using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is recorded by researchers at ScienceMag.
- University of Pittsburgh “PittCoVacc” – PittCoVacc was produced with the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is recorded by EBioMedicine at the Lancet.
- Walter Reed Army Institute – The Walter Reed Vaccine was produced with the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is recorded by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Sanofi Pasteur and Translate Bio – The Sanofi Vaccine was developed and protein-tested using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is recorded by the vaccine researchers at NPJ Vaccines.
- Inovio Pharmeceuticals – The Inovio Vaccine was protein tested using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is recorded by researchers at ScienceMag.
- Arcturus Therapeutics – The Arcturus Vaccine was protein tested using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is recorded by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Imperial College London – The Imperial College Vaccine was developed and protein-tested using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is recorded by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Providence Therapeutics – The Providence Vaccine was developed and protein-tested using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is recorded by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- CoronaVac – CoronoVac was protein tested using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is recorded by researchers at ScienceMag.
- CanSino Biologics – The CanSino Vaccine was protein tested using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute [2]. This information is recorded by researchers at BioSpace.
- ImmunityBio and NantKwest – The ImmunityBio Vaccine was developed, produced, and protein tested using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is recorded by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Institut Pasteur and Themis and Merck – The Institut Pasteur Vaccine was developed and protein-tested using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is recorded by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
- Rega Institute, KU Leuven – The Rega Vaccine protein tested using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is recorded by the Global Virus Network.
- Anhui Zhifei – The Anhui Zhifei Vaccine was developed and protein-tested using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is recorded by the Cell Press Journal.
- Clover Biopharmeceuticals – The Clover Vaccine was protein-tested using the abortion-derived cell line HEK-293. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute. This information is recorded by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Church @ the Rock Elders also hold that the transplantation of organs or tissue from a living donor can be based only on the voluntary self-sacrifice for the sake of another’s life. In this case, the consent to remove an organ or tissue becomes a manifestation of love and compassion. However, a potential donor should be fully informed about possible consequences of the extraction of his organ or tissue. Any rationale that presents an immediate threat to the life of a donor is morally inadmissible.
This position condemns the harvesting of biological material from a subject without his or her informed consent. This condemns the usage of any vaccines manufactured utilizing stolen organs, thereby also condemning the CureVac Vaccine because it was protein-tested on HeLa cells which were harvested from an African-American mother of five in 1951 without her knowledge or consent. This information is enumerated by the Lozier Institute, according to an account in John Hopkin’s Magazine.
Church @ the Rock Elders express their categorical opposition to conducting experiments on human embryonic cells. They further declare that the effort to improve life cannot pass through the destruction of millions of human beings of embryonic age.
This absolutely condemns the bulk of the already above-mentioned vaccines which are the product of testing on cells harvested from aborted fetuses. This would make it a contradiction to our Christian faith to receive those vaccines even if said vaccines genuinely benefited us.
Church @ the Rock Elders hold to mandatory principles for the moral use of human organs and tissues, and state: “Because the extraction of organs implies the consent of the donor, extraction of tissues from an embryo is inconceivable given the fact that although alive, this one cannot give its consent.”
On this basis, the Elders condemn all medical work profiting from the harvesting of cells from an embryo, or, in fact, any medical work profiting from the harvesting of cells from a non-consenting individual. This statement alone condemns all the above-mentioned vaccines on the basis that they come from either an aborted fetus or a non-consenting individual; in the vast majority of cases, these vaccines are condemned by both qualifications.
As a Christian Church, now well over 180 years old, we reject mandated vaccinations that would put Christians in a position of violating their consciences before God because of the ethical issues in the underlying research, development and administration of COVID-19 vaccines.
-Kenneth W. Griepp, Nicholas Weekes, Jr., Ronald George, Elders
The following are our sources for the above facts concerning the use of tissue from aborted fetuses in the creation of the aforementioned vaccines:
- The Lozier Institute Lists a number of COVID-19 Vaccines which utilize aborted fetal cells – https://lozierinstitute.org/update-covid-19-vaccine-candidates-and-abortion-derived-cell-lines/
- The Pfizer Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.09.08.280818v1.full
- The Moderna Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2622-0
- The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://www.janssen.com/emea/emea/janssen-vaccine-technologies
- Sputnik V Vaccine citing trial tests of their manufacturers = https://sputnikvaccine.com/about-vaccine/human-adenoviral-vaccines/
- Sputnik V manufacturers acknowledge usage of aborted fetal cells – http://actanaturae.ru/2075-8251/article/view/10302/106
- The UK Government acknowledges AstraZeneca’s usage of aborted fetal cells – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca/information-for-healthcare-professionals-on-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca-regulation-174
- The Vaxxart Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.09.04.283853v1.full
- The Altimmune Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://clinicaltrials.gov/ProvidedDocs/67/NCT03232567/Prot_000.pdf
- The COVAXX Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.11.30.399154v1.full
- The Medicago Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.11.04.20226282v1.full-text
- The Novavax Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6520/1089
- PittCoVacc utilized aborted fetal cells – https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(20)30118-3/fulltext
- The Walter Reed Vaccine utilized fetal cells – https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.04.28.441763v1.full
- The Sanofi Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://www.nature.com/articles/s41541-021-00324-5
- The Inovio Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-16505-0
- The Arcturus Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.09.03.280446v1
- The Imperial College Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.22.055608v1
- The Providence Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.11.443286v1
- CoronaVac utilized aborted fetal cells – https://science.sciencemag.org/content/suppl/2020/05/05/science.abc1932.DC1
- The CanSino Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://science.sciencemag.org/content/suppl/2020/05/05/science.abc1932.DC1
- The ImmunityBio Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.29.227595v1.full
- The Institut Pasteur Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/117/51/32657.full.pdf
- The Rega Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-3035-9
- The Anhui Zhifei Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(20)30812-6
- The Clover Vaccine utilized aborted fetal cells – https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.09.24.311027v1.full
- The HeLa Cells were harvested without informed consent – https://pages.jh.edu/jhumag/0400web/01.html
Finally, let to be known that certain other vaccines also contain cells, cellular debris, protein, and DNA (please see http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-2.pdf) from aborted babies including but not limited to Adenovirus, Polio, Dtap/Polio/HiB Combo, Hep A, Hep A/Hep B Combo, MMR, MMRV Pro Quad, Rabies, Varicella, Shingles vaccines, Ebola, tuberculosis, malaria and influenza (please see http://crucell.com/page/downloads/Factsheet_PER.C6_Technology.pdf).
APPENDIX A
FURTHER THEOLOGICAL BASIS FOR OUR POSITION
We believe that the Triune God who revealed Himself in His dealing with the people of Israel, and then most particularly in the coming of the Son of God, Jesus the Messiah, and today in the ministry of the Holy Spirit in His Church, made mankind in His image, and gave to man dominion over the world as His steward and representative. In opposition to the assertions of secularism, we assert that man’s life has transcendent value because of this act of special creation on the part of God. God’s law, therefore, is the highest standard by which man, God’s creature, is called to live and abide.
For this reason, we condemn as a blatant act of rebellion and murder the destruction of the lives of unique pre-born humans in the womb. The plague of abortion brings God’s judgment upon any nation or people who would place their self-claimed sexual liberty above that of the value of human life as God has proclaimed and defined it. Obedience to the commandment to preserve life is multi-faceted and provides a broad and deep understanding of how Christians are to seek to honor God by honoring life itself.
We also assert that while we are to preserve life, we are to do so in accordance with God’s will. God’s law provides for freedom, for liberty of conscience, and these realities are to be exercised by mankind in light of God’s revealed will that man is to live for His glory always recognizing his own mortality and the briefness of life. We are not to live in constant fear of death, and indeed it is for this reason that the gospel removes our dread of death and gives to us life eternal.
Christians therefore proclaim Christ’s Lordship over all realms, for, as He claimed, all authority has been given to Him in heaven and upon earth (Matthew 28:18). In light of His Kingship, we assert that men and women have the right to refuse mandatory medical procedures, actions, medications, or injections, whether these actions are ordered by the highest government authorities, or lesser authorities, such as an employer or local magistrate. They may do so when they are convinced that these medical procedures could threaten their life, their future health, their future fertility, and their wellbeing. Further, parents have the right and responsibility to make said decisions for their children as well, without external interference.
Acknowledgement: Above sourced from position statement of Apologia Church.
Additional Rationale in Support of Refusal to Accept a COVID Vaccine, namely that Refusal Will Not Be a Threat to Others
Below is a list of reasons why it would not impede mission readiness, nor disrupt my physical capacity to perform my duties if I do not receive a COVID Vaccine.
The Low Mortality Rate of the Disease
The particularly low mortality rate of the disease, but also its distribution by age, clearly denote that vaccination, whenever it becomes feasible, must be targeted. This percentage is fictitiously over-evaluated for the time being (~2.5%) : on the one hand, due to the over-representation of severely positive cases of the virus, and on the other, given that the death toll from COVID has also included the deaths of cases found positive for COVID but with other, underlying diseases (not the SARS respiratory syndrome). The Center for Disease Control (CDC) admits this, saying only 5% of deaths involving COVID-19 had COVID as the exclusive cause of death. Recent studies which have estimated the number of deaths in relation to the actual number of people exposed to the virus – based on serological tests (antibody tests) in a specific geographical area – have determined that this percentage is of the order of magnitude of seasonal flu (certainly <1%). The fact of the matter is that COVID has a 99.74% survivability rate, so saith the CDC.
COVID Mainly Affects People in the Third and Fourth Age Groups
COVID mainly affects people in the third and fourth age groups, where the phenomenon of immune senescence occurs – that is, the reduction in size, quality and duration of their immune response-protection – which can occur, after being vaccinated. In other words, the vaccine-induced active immunity may not be capable of protecting the elderly, who are the “target” of the corona virus; hence, the finding of an anti-viral therapy should be a priority – assuming that the protection of the elderly is in fact what is desired. Youth are affected very marginally, almost not at all.
Asymptomatic Transmissions of COVID are too Insignificant to Warrant the Mandate of a Vaccine
Researchers at Nature Communications and the Journal of the American Medical Association both found that asymptomatic transmissions of Coronavirus are less than one percent. In the case of JAMA, 0.7% of transmissions were among households, which would undoubtedly be lower in the general population or, hypothetically, a short time in a workplace where we are already spread apart, or an even shorter time in close proximity due to the infrequency or nature of such gatherings. Previously I spoke about deaths due to the virus, but it is probably even less likely that I would spread it to another person, if I had it, than the likelihood that I would die from it. The vaccine’s main purpose is to prevent the spread of the disease to others, but that is already incredibly unlikely, not only due to natural herd immunity, but also because, at this point in time, most people who have desired the vaccine have received it, making any mandate of it among those who do not want it frivolous.
Among the Seriously Ill, the Vaccine May Actually Cause More Harm Than Good
With seriously ill patients, acute respiratory failure occurs through an immuno-pathological mechanism (a “storm” producing inflammatory cytokines and reducing CD4 and CD8 T-mediated immune response). There are serious concerns that vaccination will exacerbate this immune complication in the event of a subsequent viral infection and will consequently worsen the patient’s clinical course. A similar effect was observed with the FeCoV coronavirus vaccine, which affects cats and causes peritonitis.
In the 12-29 Age Group, there has been a notable risk of heart inflammation due to the COVID Vaccine.
The CDC reports that there have been many reports of myocarditis and pericarditis following the reception in mRNA vaccine recipients. These are inflammation of certain heart muscles, the myocardium and the pericardium respectively. The vaccine has caused multitudes of people who are not allergic to any product in them to suffer heart inflammation. Many have even died. Therefore, the COVID Vaccine is not only a spiritual threat, as indicated in the prior documents, but also a physical threat. It seems to me very impractical, inconsiderate, and even abusive to mandate a vaccine that has such a high rate of physical harm to a recipient.
The logic of eradicating an infectious disease through global vaccination, on the one hand presupposes the existence of a very safe and very effective vaccine, and on the other hand, most importantly that there be no other hosts of the virus in the natural environment. That is, man has to be the only species that can host the virus.
This is true of the polio virus, but it does not apply to the coronavirus, because all research suggests that the virus originated from bats. Unknown and controversial remains the intermediate link (host?) which had transported it from the bats’ caves of Wuhan city. In any case, the disappearance of the virus through global vaccination would only be temporary – in other words, a terrible waste of resources, inasmuch as it could transfer from its natural refuge (the bats or the intermediate host) to the human population at any given moment, capably mutated for bypassing the existing herd immunity and initiating a new pandemic.
Coronaviruses, being RNA viruses, mutate rapidly, gaining genetic and therefore antigenic diversity. This diversity, especially for coronae, also increases through RNA recombination, due to the particularly inconsistent mode of transcription of viral RNAs. Two types have already been identified for SARS-Cov2, S and L. It is doubtful that a vaccine can provide both equal coverage for all strains of the virus that emerge, as well as permanent protection over time, hence underlining one more time the importance and priority of finding anti-viral drugs against coronavirus. It is quite likely, therefore, that over time, a global vaccination will evolve into regular global vaccinations.
Multiple, Eminent Health Authorities from All Across the World Have Warned Against the Safety and Efficacy of Coronavirus Vaccines
Dr. Peter Hotez, UK scientist Hilda Bastian, and former Vice President of vaccine-manufacturer, Pfizer, Dr. Michael Yeadon have all warned against the safety of the COVID Vaccines due to the nature of their creation.
Vaccine development usually takes many years or decades, whereas the coronavirus vaccine has been manufactured in less than 12 months. I am not willing to receive a “fast-tracked” product, as by definition, fast-tracking a product means there is no data on long-term safety.
Current Pfizer CEO Unable to Say if Vaccine Will Mitigate COVID Transmission
Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, was unable to confirm if any of effectiveness of the COVID Vaccine. It is evident from the above that the vaccine has a negligible effectiveness and a great chance of harm caused to a recipient of the Vaccine. The Vaccine certainly has greater risks than it does benefits.
Adverse Reactions and Death Caused by the Vaccines are Underreported
According to a study done by Harvard, at the commission of the United States Government, less than 1% of all adverse reactions to vaccines are actually submitted to the National Vaccine Adverse Events Reports System (VAERS). These problems have yet to be fixed.
It is unpredictable what negative effects will be suffered from the reception of the vaccine; therefore, I find that it would be inappropriate to mandate the vaccine and, in fact, harmful.
I believe that this is sufficient evidence to conclude that it would not be against the best interests, nor would it be a threat to the health and safety, of the environment, workplace, or my compatriots for me to not receive the COVID Vaccine.
The following is a list of sources demonstrating the above claims that refusing the vaccine would not be a significant threat to others:
1: That COVID Deaths are over-evaluated due to false positive tests for the virus – https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m1113.long
2: That only 5% of Deaths had COVID as the only cause – https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid_weekly/index.htm
3: That COVID has a death rate of less than 1% – https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.14.20062463v2
4: That COVID only marginally affects the youth – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2265901/
5: That COVID has an almost zero percent chance of asymptomatic transfer – https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-19802-w
6: That COVID has a less than one percent chance of asymptomatic transfer among individuals living together within the same household – https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2774102
7: How Acute Respiratory Failure Occurs – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S205229752030024X
8: That FeCov Worsens a Subject’s Clinical Course – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16322745/
9: That mRNA Vaccines have a chance of causing Heart Inflammation – https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7027e2.htm?s_cid=mm7027e2_e&ACSTrackingID=USCDC_921-DM60791&ACSTrackingLabel=MMWR%20Early%20Release%20-%20Vol.%2070%2C%20July%206%2C%202021&deliveryName=USCDC_921-DM60791
10: Mutations in COVID – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7108124/
11: Mutations in COVID [part 2] – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7108196/
12: Dr. Peter Hotez on the unsafe nature of the Vaccine – https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-vaccines-insight/as-pressure-for-coronavirus-vaccine-mounts-scientists-debate-risks-of-accelerated-testing-idUKKBN20Y1I1
13: Scientist Hilda Bastian on the unsafe nature of the Vaccine – https://www.wired.com/story/the-astrazeneca-covid-vaccine-data-isnt-up-to-snuff/
14: Former Vice President of Pfizer, Dr. Michael Yeadon on the unsafe nature of the Vaccine – https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/diagnostics/no-need-for-vaccines-covid-effectively-over-ex-pfizer-vp/79445839
15: Current Pfizer CEO Unable to Say if Vaccine Will Mitigate COVID Transmission – https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9018547/Pfizer-CEO-not-certain-covid-shot-prevents-transmission.html
16: That Adverse Reactions and Deaths due to the Vaccine are underreported – https://www.icandecide.org/inc/uploads/2020/12/Lazarus-report.pdf
17: Monk Paul of Mount Athos Against the Vaccine – https://orthodoxethos.com/post/de-mystifying-the-vaccine-for-corona-virus
18: The Worth in Being Skeptical About the Vaccine – https://www.deconstructingconventional.com/post/18-reason-i-won-t-be-getting-a-covid-vaccine
19: Anonymous Exemption Request – https://miriaf.webs.com/hospital-worker-test-vaccine
20: 99.74% Survivability Rate of COVID – https://www.nbc26.com/news/coronavirus/cdc-estimates-covid-19-fatality-rate-including-asymptomatic-cases
APPENDIX B
BASIS IN U.S. LAW FOR REFUSING AN EMERGENCY-USE COVID VACCINE:
A. 21 U.S. Code § 360bbb–3 – Authorization for medical products for use in emergencies
The above-cited U.S. Code includes provisions stating the obligations of government to inform individuals about using emergency-use medications:
(ii) Appropriate conditions designed to ensure that individuals to whom the product is administered are informed—
(I) that the Secretary has authorized the emergency use of the product;
(II) of the significant known and potential benefits and risks of such use, and of the extent to which such benefits and risks are unknown; and
(III) of the option to accept or refuse administration of the product, of the consequences, if any, of refusing administration of the product, and of the alternatives to the product that are available and of their benefits and risks.
B. EEOC RELIGIOUS EXEMPTIONS
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) says employers are legally able to mandate Covid-19 vaccines to employees. However, the EEOC also says employees may refuse to get the vaccine based on their “sincerely held” religious beliefs and may request a religious exemption.
The EEOC says employers must provide a reasonable accommodation if the employees’ sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance prevents them from receiving the vaccination.
The EEOC, which enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, uses a very broad definition of “religion.” It includes membership in a church or ministry, a belief in God, and firmly and sincerely held moral or ethical beliefs.