Military VAX Lawsuit

by | Jan 4, 2008 | News, Vaccines | 0 comments

Note to our Readers:

Please keep Joe Healy in your prayers.  This American hero is defending our country while the government refuses to defend the very rights he is fighting to protect.  Joe is an honorable, pro-life Catholic man who has been in contact with Children of God for Life for well over a year on this issue.  He is holding fast to his Faith, his values and his moral convictions, despite the persecution that may lie ahead for him.  Please pray for Alliance Defense Fund too as they defend his religious rights.

ADF: U.S. Coast Guard officers should not be forced to violate conscience in order to serve country

U.S. Coast Guard officials deny exemption for Catholic officer who objects to injection of Hepatitis A vaccine derived from aborted baby
Friday, January 04, 2008, 12:00 AM (MST) |
ADF Media Relations | 480-444-0020

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, ADF attorneys filed a lawsuit on behalf of a U.S. Coast Guard officer told he must be injected with a vaccine derived from an aborted child, even though it conflicts with his Catholic beliefs.  The U.S. Coast Guard refused to grant an exemption for Officer Joseph J. Healy, who is Catholic, even though it allows exemptions based on other religious beliefs.

“Those who lay their life on the line to defend our shores are entitled to the same religious freedoms as anyone else,” said ADF Legal Counsel Matt Bowman.  “Members of the U.S. military should never be forced to make an unconstitutional choice between honoring their country and honoring their faith.”

In May 2006, the Coast Guard, which requires its personnel to be vaccinated against a variety of diseases, ordered all active-duty personnel to receive one of two vaccines against Hepatitis A or show proof of immunity.  The vaccines are derived from cells taken from the lung tissue of a child who was electively aborted at 14 weeks gestation and then dissected.  The U.S. Coast Guard allows religious exemptions for those who hold a “religious tenet or belief contrary to immunization.”

In compliance with Coast Guard requirements, Healy, a lieutenant commander, submitted a memo requesting religious exemption based on his Catholic faith and strong opposition to abortion.  In response, Capt. Brent Pennington denied the request because he disagreed with Healy’s theology, claiming that Catholic teaching “does not state that these immunizations are against the religious tenets of the Catholic Church.”

Because of the denial, Healy may be forced, under threat of severe penalty, to receive the immunization against his will.  ADF attorneys have filed a motion along with the lawsuit asking the court to prevent that from happening while the case moves forward in court.

A copy of the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Healy v. United States Coast Guard is available.

ADF is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4348 

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