Vaccine Exemptions Win the Day
People across our district are concerned about vaccine mandates. Like so many of you, I am outraged that governments and corporations are involving themselves in your personal health decisions. I believe these mandates are unconstitutional and need to be stopped. Fortunately, this week has provided some good news in the fight against vaccine mandates.
Earlier this year, the University of Minnesota announced that students at their campuses must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 8th. This mandate was extremely comprehensive and included only two exemptions: students with medical concerns or religious objections would not be forced to get vaccinated.
In response to this mandate, a brave student from the University of Minnesota Duluth filed a lawsuit on the grounds that the mandate violated state law. According to Section 135A.14 of Minnesota Statutes, students must be permitted a vaccine exemption if they sign a notarized document stating that they have an objection to vaccination based on, “conscientiously held beliefs.”
By not offering a vaccine exemption based on an objection of conscience, the University of Minnesota was in clear violation of this law.
Thanks to this lawsuit, major change has come to the University of Minnesota. Just this week, the school announced a new exemption to their vaccine mandate. Now, any student with a conscientious objection will not be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
We know these vaccine mandates are unconstitutional and wrong. People must be allowed to make their own health decisions. As a matter of fact, Minnesota law affirms this belief. Section 12.39 of Minnesota Statutes states that, “individuals have a fundamental right to refuse medical treatment, testing, physical or mental examination, vaccination, participation in experimental procedures and protocols, collection of specimens, and preventive treatment programs.”
You can read the full statute here.
Almost every vaccine mandate that has been issued, either from a government or corporation, includes certain exemptions. If you are concerned about a vaccine mandate that may affect you, I strongly encourage you to learn about the exemptions to that mandate.
While this win against the University of Minnesota’s vaccine mandate may seem small, it proves that when we assert our constitutional rights, we will beat these mandates.
Tim Miller