Supreme Court declines to block vaccine mandate for health workers in Maine

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court declined Friday to block Maine’s requirement for health care workers to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, even though it doesn’t contain a religious exemption.

Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissented, saying they would have blocked the mandate. Two of the court’s other conservatives, Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, said they agreed the court should not take the case, because it came on an emergency appeal without benefit of a full briefing.

The state requirement was challenged by health care workers who opposed the Covid-19 vaccination mandate on religious grounds. State officials began enforcing the new rule on Friday.

Maine’s order applies to health workers in hospitals, nursing homes and doctor’s offices. State officials said most of those covered by the order have complied.

Maine allowed religious exemptions in the past for health care workers, daycare employees, school children and college students. But the state eliminated all non-medical vaccination exemptions in 2019. It said falling inoculation rates were causing communicable diseases to spread more rapidly.

A group of health care workers sued when the Covid-19 vaccine was required, saying they objected because the vaccine was developed with the aid of “fetal cell lines that originated in elective abortions.” The rule forced them to decide “what is more important to them — their deeply held religious beliefs or their ability to work anywhere in their state so that they can feed their families.”

via www.nbcnews.com