US Supreem Court dismisses plea seeking exemption from vaccination on religious grounds

The Supreme Court of the United States has dismissed a petition challenging the State of Maine's new regulation requiring certain healthcare workers to receive COVID–19 vaccines if they wish to keep their jobs on the grounds of their protected religious beliefs.

The application has been filed by a Physician and 8 other healthcare workers stating that unlike comparable rules in most other States, Maine’s rule contains no exemption for those whose sincerely held religious beliefs preclude them from accepting the vaccination.

Maine has adopted a new regulation requiring certain healthcare workers to receive COVID–19 vaccines if they wish to keep their jobs. However, the petitioners had sought exemption from the rule.

The health care workers had sought relief stating that " receiving the COVID–19 vaccines violates their faith because of what they view as an impermissible connection between the vaccines and the cell lines of aborted fetuses."

"The Johnson & Johnson vaccine required the use of abortion-related materials in its production, and that Moderna and Pfizer relied on aborted fetal cell lines to develop their vaccines," the petitioners added.

However, the concurring judgment denied the relief sought in the application.

Other than the Concurring judgment, the dissenting judgment stated, "This case presents an important constitutional question, a serious error, and an irreparable injury. Where many other States have adopted religious exemptions, Maine has charted a different course."

Whereas, it granted relief on the ground that "There, healthcare workers who have served on the front line of a pandemic for the last 18 months are now being fired and their practices shuttered. All for adhering to their constitutionally protected religious beliefs. Their plight is worthy of our attention. I would grant relief."

Case Title: JOHN DOES 1–3, ET AL. v. JANET T. MILLS, GOVERNOR OF MAINE