Justice Amy Coney Barrett Denies to Block Vaccine Requirement

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Thursday the supreme court refused to block Indiana University’s requirement that all students must be vaccinated against covid-19. If they do not get the vaccine they are not able to attend classes on campus in the fall.

Thus was the first legal test Covid vaccines came before the Supreme Court came before the Justices. A challenge to the policy was directed to Amy Coney Barrett. She is the justice in charge of that area of the country. Amy Coney Barrett denied it and there was no noted dissents from other justices.

Eight students that were planning on attending the college in the fall for an emergency order arguing that the risks associated with the vaccines outweigh the potential benefits for the population in their age group. “Protection of others does not relieve our society from the central canon of medical ethics requiring voluntary and informed consent,”

A federal judge just last month ruled that schools do have the right to pursue “a reasonable and due process of vaccinations in the legitimate interests of public health for its students, faciility and staff.” The Judge went on to say students have several options from attending online classes, taking a semester off, applying for an exception or attending a different university.

The 7th Circuit court of appeals based in Chicago agreed with the decision. The court of appeals cited a Supreme Court ruling from back in 1905 that a state can require vaccinations against smallpox. Indiana’s requirement of vaccination to attend the school is a lot less demanding according to the court. The School is still allowing medical exemptions and religious exemptions as well the court cited in their statement.

This is not the first and not the last lawsuit waiting for a ruling by a judge. Universities in Connecticut, Massachusetts and California are all still waiting on a court ruling. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, 670 of the country’s universities require students to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

Schools are not the only place where covid vaccine mandates are being court challenged, it is also having court challenges in the workplace. Houston Methodist Hospital was the first workplace in the country to require vaccinations. It was brought to court and the Judge ruled with the hospital that it is constitutional to require the vaccine. Since then thousands of employers have required vaccines to be employed at that business.

There have been several cases that have gone through the court process and so far to date not a single judge has ruled with an employee suing over the vaccine mandate.