christian letter religious exemption from vaccines

#Christian letter religious exemption from vaccines series

Pacholczyk said that questions about a “substantial burden” on one’s faith or how long they have objected to COVID-19 vaccines are “not, per se, of importance.” Other questions include the length of time an employee held their religious beliefs that support their objection, their adult vaccine history, other medicines they have avoided due to religious beliefs, and why receiving a COVID-19 vaccine would “substantially burden” their religious practice. The template provides questions for federal agencies, such as why an employee is opposed to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Many of the questions about religious exemptions in the federal guidance are “largely irrelevant to assessing whether someone has conscience concerns about being vaccinated,” he said. Otherwise, the vaccine mandates “can easily become intrusive, blunt instruments that end up violating personal liberties,” he said. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D., the director of education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center, in an interview with CNA. However, religious exemptions should be “liberally available” for employees, said Fr.

#Christian letter religious exemption from vaccines series

4, states that employees requesting a religious exemption to the mandate “must first establish that refusal to be vaccinated is based upon a sincere belief that is religious in nature.”Ī template for religious exemptions includes a seven-part form for employees to fill out, asking a series of questions about employees’ religious-based objection to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Guidance for federal agencies from the Office of Personnel Management, released on Monday, Oct.

New guidance on issuing COVID-19 vaccine religious exemptions for federal employees insufficiently treats the matter of conscience, one Catholic bioethicist told CNA.įederal employees are now required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Nov.