Disclaimer: This article may contain the personal views and opinions of the author.
Congress, state legislatures, and Delta Force legend Colonel Tim Nye are all supporting Navy SEALs who are opposing the forced coronavirus vaccination order.
‘The Department of Defense takes the position that it can require servicemembers to be vaccinated against their will, even over their objection based on sincerely held religious beliefs,’ said Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, in a statement.
‘This is a misguided and dangerous position that contradicts years of reasonable accommodations for religious beliefs,’ he added.
The Navy SEALs are not the only service members to push back against the vaccine mandate. The Army is facing a lawsuit from dozens of soldiers who say they should not be forced to take the vaccine.
And last week, more than 100 airmen at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska were disciplined for refusing to take the vaccine.
The military has long had a policy of accommodating religious beliefs, but the COVID-19 pandemic has put that policy to the test.
In December, the Pentagon issued guidance saying that service members who object to taking the vaccine on religious grounds would be allowed to request an exemption.
But the guidance also said that military commanders could require service members to take the vaccine if they determined it was ‘necessary to promote readiness, effectiveness, or morale.’
The SEALs’ lawsuit, filed in January, argues that the Pentagon’s policy violates their right to free exercise of religion.
‘The decision to vaccinate, or not vaccinate, is a deeply personal one that should be left to the individual, not the government,’ said Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Giannini, one of the SEALs who filed the lawsuit.
‘We joined the Navy to defend the Constitution, not to have our constitutional rights trampled on by our own government.’
The lawsuit has been backed by several religious freedom groups, as well as nearly 30 members of Congress and 47 state attorneys general.
‘Forcing service members to choose between their sincerely held religious beliefs and their career is unconscionable,’ said Mike Berry, chief counsel for First Liberty Institute, one of the groups representing the SEALs.
‘We are confident that the courts will protect the religious liberty of our brave service members and ensure that they can continue to serve without having to violate their conscience.’
The Biden administration has argued that the military should be given deference to vaccine mandates, citing a need to ‘promote the efficiency of the armed forces.’
But critics say that the administration is overstepping its authority.
‘The Constitution does not allow the President to use the military as a tool to advance his political agenda,’ said Collins.
‘I urge the Biden Administration to reconsider this dangerous policy and respect the religious beliefs of our servicemembers.’
The SEALs’ lawsuit is one of several that have been filed challenging the vaccine mandate. But it is the only one that has received significant support from Congress and the states.
The case is currently before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. A decision is expected later this year.
