CHICAGO - Since Governor Pritzker set into motion a COVID-19 mandate for public school employees and medical personnel last week, more queries about Illinoisans' rights to continue working without Pritzker-required injections have come forward, says one legal expert.
Differing legal opinions abound on whether Illinois' strong Health Care Conscience Act applies, but even the governor's latest executive order issued August 26, 2021, allows health care workers to claim medical or religious exemptions under Section 2 Vaccination Requirements for Health Care Workers:
- Individuals are exempt from the requirement to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 if (1) vaccination is medically contraindicated, including any individual who is entitled to an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act or any other law applicable to a disability-related reasonable accommodation, or (2) vaccination would require the individual to violate or forgo a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance. Individuals who demonstrate they are exempt from the vaccination requirement shall undergo, at a minimum, weekly testing as provided for in Subsection (d).
Illinois Review had a chance to speak with Liberty Counsel co-founder Mat Staver about several issues pertaining to exemptions, an HTML d the case their pro-bono law firm is representing against the Advocate Health Care system in Illinois and Missouri.