Massachusetts, the Cambridge, Mass., Board of Health’s authority, was upheld in requiring vaccinations against smallpox during an epidemic at the time. Vaccine mandates have been legal in the U.S. Jason Geller, an employment attorney at the Fisher Phillips law firm, says: “A lot more employers are starting to get prepared for the process of evaluating whether somebody has a ‘sincerely held religious belief’ or not.” Jana Asenbrennerova/Special to The Chronicle Hundreds of San Francisco police officers remain unvaccinated and are awaiting decisions on their religious exemption requests while the city figures out staffing duties. Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, a holdout for weeks before reversing course and announcing he got vaccinated, had been denied a religious exemption request from the NBA. This leaves employers wrestling with the knotty issue of where to draw the line between individual prerogative and the common good. But some workers have legitimate concerns about getting the shots on medical grounds or because of personal convictions that take the form of ideology or faith. The choice between personal freedom and societal well-being has resulted in workplace tumult as some employees choose to remain unvaccinated - sometimes because of misunderstandings and misinformation about the vaccine. (The faith says it is not opposed to the COVID-19 vaccine.) The Christian Science church leaves the vaccine decision up to its individual members, while Seventh-day Adventists encourage getting the shot. Jehovah’s Witnesses, for instance, do not allow blood transfusions, so followers can reject that procedure. In some instances not related to the coronavirus, an expression of belief can prohibit a medical intervention.
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