How to Create Fair Procedures of Reviewing Applications for Religious Exemptions to the Covid Vaccine Mandates and Communicate Clear and Equitable Guidelines to the Public
Friday, October 13, 2023
3:15 PM – 4:30 PM ET
Location: Iron (Fourth Floor)
The recent debate over religious exemptions for Covid vaccines has raised significant ethical questions. Bioethicists have debated on how to balance between individual right to religious freedom and protection of vulnerable populations at risk. Researchers have investigated why employees request religious exemptions. However, procedural issues related to reviewing processes of vaccine religious exemption applications have rarely been discussed in details among researchers. According to the Pew Research Center, 67% of US adults believe that most people with religious objections merely use religion as an excuse to avoid Covid vaccines. Many employees who didn’t grant medical/religious exemptions have lost their jobs. For bioethicists, it is essential to find a way to implement fair procedures for religious exemptions and communicate clearly about the procedures with the public. This study points out ethical issues related to current inconsistent policies and procedures for religious exemptions. And it will seek a way of implementing fair procedures for religious exemptions for ensuring fairness and equality. First, the study reviews legal grounds for exemptions from a Covid vaccination requirement and what counts as “religious” in seeking religious exemptions. Then, it explores some procedural concerns (e.g. ghost writing, setting up objective standards of assessment, deciding who should be members of review committees). To ensure transparency and equality, the researcher will make some suggestions for providing clear guidelines for religious exemption applications and implementing fair procedures for reviewing those applications. Lastly, the study recommends how these procedures and guidelines can be communicated to potential applicants and the public.