"We believe firmly that religious freedom should not be a license to cause harm to others," says Rachel Laser, CEO at Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Participants bow their heads in prayer during a COVID-19 prayer vigil on the National Mall honoring and mourning those who have died due to the coronavirus pandemic in Washington, D.C., in July. "Those factors can include whether the employee's behavior is inconsistent with the professed belief the accommodation constitutes a desirable benefit likely to be sought for secular reasons the timing of the request renders it suspect or the employer has an objective reason to believe the accommodation is not sought for religious reasons," she explains. Genderson says that according to federal guidance and previous court decisions, employers may consider several factors when assessing the sincerity of a religious belief. There's no way to judge that as religious or not, or as sincere or not," says Kira Ganga Kieffer, a doctoral candidate in religious studies at Boston University, where she's writing a book on vaccine skepticism in America.īut there is a legal basis for employers to assess sincerely held religious belief. "Sincerity is like, what's true in your heart. The idea of evaluating sincerity is particularly thorny. Patrick's Catholic Church in Los Angeles in April. "Employers are being flooded with these requests, and are having to evaluate them in large numbers," says Alana Genderson, an attorney specializing in labor and employment law at the firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.īecause employers are wary of wading into assessing questions of religion and personal belief, Genderson says "employers feel more comfortable judging undue hardship, and whether there is an accommodation where the person would not be a direct threat to others."Ī person receives the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic at St. The Pope has declared getting vaccinated "an act of love." Evaluating requests for religious exemptions is thorny Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Scientists, and the Catholic Church have all issued statements saying that their religion does not prohibit members from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. No major religion has come out in opposition to the COVID-19 vaccines. The health care system says more than 95% of its employees are now vaccinated, with 5% exempt for religious or medical reasons. Last month, Valley Health terminated the employment of 72 employees, out of a workforce of more 6,000, due to noncompliance with its vaccine mandate. Hart and Watson say others they know had their exemption requests rejected.
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