This article originally appeared onThe Defenderand was republished with permission.
Guest post byBrenda Baletti, Ph.D.
A coalition of federal lawmakers todayurged the U.S. Department of Justice(DOJ) to investigate four states whose laws prohibit religious exemptions for schoolvaccine mandates.
In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, lawmakers warned thatvaccinemandate laws in New York, California, Maine and Connecticut violate theFirst Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause.
Lawmakers also asked the DOJ to intervene in two New York lawsuits whereChildren’s Health Defense(CHD) is either aplaintiffor isfinancing the case.
Rep. Greg Steube(R-Fla.) is the lead author of the letter, which is also addressed toHarmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for Civil Rights.
As of this afternoon, 13 Congress members had signedthe letter.
“Religious freedom is the cornerstone of our Republic,” Steube said in a statement toThe Defender. “It is inexcusable that New York, California, Maine, and Connecticut refuse to provide people of faith with a religious exemption from their vaccine mandates. This is not only a direct violation of the Free Exercise Clause, but it is also a grave assault on civil liberties.”
“Your constitutional rights should never take a backseat to a vaccine mandate. That is why I am requesting Attorney General Pam Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon launch formal investigations of all states that continue to violate the constitutional rights of the American people via coercion and infringement on their religious beliefs.”
Allowing the four states to violate citizens’ constitutional rights has emboldened states like Massachusetts and Hawaii, which are considering eliminating religious exemptions forvaccines, to “further encroach upon Americans’ rights,” according to the lawmakers.
Source: The Vigilant Fox
