ROCHESTER, Minn. (TND) — The top-ranked Mayo Clinic, headquartered in Minnesota, may have violated the religious rights of five of its employees who were dismissed for failing to comply with its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, an appeals court ruled last week.
A district court in 2023 ruled the workers had failed to ground their complaint against the mandate in sincere Christian beliefs and ordered the suit be tossed out. However, a panel of judges with the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis now says the case warrants further review.
The district court erred by emphasizing that many Christians elect to receive the vaccine," the panel wrote. "Beliefs do not have to be uniform across all members of a religion or acceptable, logical, consistent, or comprehensible to others."Contributing to the decision was Judge Duane Benton, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, and Judges Ralph Erickson and Jonathan Kobes, who were appointed by former President Donald Trump.
Mayo Clinic said it will “vigorously” defend its actions in a statement to The National Desk (TND).
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“Mayo Clinic established its vaccination program to protect the health and safety of our staff, patients and communities,” it wrote. “The program included an exemption to accommodate sincerely held religious beliefs, and Mayo granted the majority of requests for religious exemptions. In its decision, the Court of Appeals did not criticize Mayo’s vaccination program or its employment actions; rather, the court merely ruled that the plaintiffs may resume their legal claims.”
Other major health providers have come under fire for similar vaccine requirements. Catholic healthcare system Providence Health & Services in 2023 asked its employees to receive a COVID vaccine to protect its "vulnerable patient population" and community.
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