MONROE, Louisiana (PNN) - August 20, 2021 - A court has ruled that a Louisiana medical school wrongly prohibited students from attending because they refused the COVID-19 vaccine under a religious exemption.
The Fascist Police States of Amerika Western District Court of Louisiana’s Monroe Division issued a temporary restraining order against Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM). The action came after three students complained about being barred from obtaining an education, because taking the experimental jab contradicted their religious convictions.
Rachel Lynn Magliulo, Matthew Shea Willis and Kirsten Willis Hall claimed the vaccine in question was created from aborted fetal tissue. This violated their religious convictions.
The trio also claimed they refused to be vaccinated because the products are experimental and only licensed for emergency use.
Judge Terry Doughty agreed that VCOM’s vaccination policy had violated religious freedom rights.
“The plaintiff’s potential harm of a constitutional violation, ability to complete their education, ethics charges, and possible expulsion outweighs VCOM’s interest,” he said in the final decision.
Doughty also found the vaccine policy prevented students from joining the Standardized Patient Examinations and Early Clinical Experiences, which are required to be completed before graduation.
“Under Louisiana law, students at VCOM are not subject to VCOM’s mandatory vaccine requirements, if the student provides a written statement from a physician that the procedure is contraindicated for medical reasons, or presents a written dissent from a student or student’s guardian,” he said in the decision.
The judge also questioned the legality of the college’s lack of tolerance for differences in opinion.
“If the legislature of Louisiana had intended for a college to be able to restrict student’s dissents, it would have put that language in the statute,” he said. “Restrictions that keep students from completing their curriculum defeat the purpose of having the right of dissent.”
The remarks came after VCOM emailed students on June 30, saying they must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to enroll in fall 2021 classes.
The college promised to evaluate religious and medical exemptions on an individual basis. It also set the following additional restrictions:
- exemptions will expire once federal regulators fully authorize vaccination, at which point they will have to be immunized or reapply for an exemption
- face masks must be worn, except for when eating or drinking in isolation from other students - failure to comply will result in suspension
- unvaccinated students may only collaborate with those who agree to be paired up with an unvaccinated classmate
- unvaccinated students are prohibited from participating in Standardized Patient Examinations and Early Clinical Practices, which will be postponed until COVID-19 has subsided or the vaccine is approved
The temporary restraining order will remain in effect, pending the case’s final outcome or further orders from higher courts.
Attorney Michael DuBos, who represented the students in court, is very pleased with the decision.
“It is important to respect individual rights, especially in a time of crisis,” he said. “If not, it sets a dangerous precedent.”