The number of universities in the U.S. requiring their students to get the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine has increased. As of writing, more than 500 educational institutions have implemented COVID-19 vaccine mandates as a condition of academic enrollment. However, federal law has stated that vaccines granted emergency use authorization (EUA) cannot be made mandatory.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) released guidance saying that there are no legal impediments for organizations – including universities – making COVID-19 vaccines mandatory. In an opinion paper published on July 26, the DOJ said federal law "does not prohibit public or private entities from imposing vaccination requirement for vaccines that are subject to [EUA]."
It also pointed out that the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) "option to accept or refuse" condition for EUA vaccines is not absolute. According to the department, the FDA had the option to modify the condition as "necessary or appropriate to protect the public health."
A report by Children's Health Defense said more than 580 out of the roughly 5,300 higher educational institutions in the U.S. have mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for children before the fall semester. Mother-of-two Meredith shared her thoughts about the mandatory vaccination, given that her two children are currently in college.
Meredith heard about the obstacles students faced in the process of obtaining medical and religious exemptions. Her younger daughter, who will enter a Catholic university this fall as a freshman, suffered from an autoimmune disorder and other medical conditions.
Despite recently recovering from COVID-19, Meredith's older daughter reluctantly got the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to avoid "exceedingly punitive" measures when she returns in the fall. Fortunately, she felt better after three to four days of intense COVID-like symptoms after her inoculation.
Meredith said: "Each child has a different set of risk factors, but these shots are one-size-fits-all. In this age group, where the evidence suggests that the greater risk of harm lies with the vaccinations, I see a violation of medical ethics."
Students and parents stand up to vaccine mandates
Fortunately, students and parents stood up to vaccine mandates ordered by universities. Some groups filed lawsuits, while others took to the streets to express their disagreement toward mandatory vaccination.
Back in June 2021, eight students sued Indiana University (IU) over its mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. The students' June 21 lawsuit accused IU of violating the Fourteenth Amendment and a state law banning vaccine passports. It also alleged that IU requiring vaccines granted EUA violated federal law. The Bopp Law Firm, which filed the June 21 suit, said in a statement: "When a drug receives EUA, the FDA requires those taking the drug to be informed of both [its] benefits and the risks ... and that taking the drug is optional."
However, U.S. District Judge Damon Leichty ruled in favor of the university and said it can require COVID-19 vaccinations for students and employees. In his July 18 decision, Leichty wrote that the Constitution allowed IU to "pursue a reasonable and due process of vaccination in the legitimate interest of public health for its students, faculty and staff." The federal judge added that the eight plaintiffs have the option of applying for medical or religious exemptions to vaccination, taking the fall semester off or attending another school.
On the other hand, students in other universities assembled in protest of tyrannical COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Back in May 2021, hundreds of Rutgers University students and their parents gathered at its New Brunswick campus to speak out against the university's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Republican lawmakers also graced the rally organized by Turning Point USA, Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) and medical freedom advocacy group NJ Stands Up. They proposed a number of measures to ban forced inoculations and vaccine discrimination and called on university students to defend their freedom.
Later, Virginia Tech (VT) students sent a petition calling on university officials to end its mandatory COVID-19 vaccination order. Five hundred people signed the online petition organized by YAL's chapter in the university. The petition said that any decision to receive a vaccine is a "personal and private decision" that should be made between students, their families and their doctors. An accompanying protest was also planned on June 28, but has since been postponed.
YAL Mid-Atlantic Regional Director Ryan Jacoby slammed VT's mandate in a statement. "The regulations at Virginia Tech are affecting the lives of millions of students across the country. Their rights are being stripped away by an administration with no regard for privacy," Jacoby said. YAL South Regional Director Ian Escalante agreed with Jacoby's remarks. "This arbitrary order is a blatant violation of the students' rights to medical freedom," Escalante said.
MedicalTyranny.com has more articles about COVID-19 vaccine mandates in universities.
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