CNN Guest Expert Rips Ambiguous Religious Exemptions for Covid Vaccine: ‘People Are Using It as an Excuse’

SMERCONISH As sweeping new ░░░░░░░░ mandates could force millions ░░░░░░░░ holdouts to get vaccinated ░░░░░░░░ Coronavirus there s growing ░░░░░░░░ that people may try ░░░░░░░░ misuse religious exemptions to ░░░░░░░░ employer vaccine mandates Many ░░░░░░░░ corporations already require the ░░░░░░░░ but they must also ░░░░░░░░ the Americans with Disabilities ░░░░░░░░ and Title VII of ░░░░░░░░ Civil Rights Act offer ░░░░░░░░ to people with either ░░░░░░░░ disability or a sincerely ░░░░░░░░ religious belief that prevents ░░░░░░░░ from getting the vaccine ░░░░░░░░ no major religious denomination ░░░░░░░░ the U S outright ░░░░░░░░ vaccinations So what constitutes ░░░░░░░░ sincerely held religious belief ░░░░░░░░ to rules laid out ░░░░░░░░ the Equal Employment Opportunity ░░░░░░░░ a religious belief does ░░░░░░░░ have to be recognized ░░░░░░░░ an organized religion and ░░░░░░░░ can be new unusual ░░░░░░░░ seem illogical or unreasonable ░░░░░░░░ others but it cannot ░░░░░░░░ founded solely on political ░░░░░░░░ social ideas That puts ░░░░░░░░ in the difficult position ░░░░░░░░ determining what is a ░░░░░░░░ religious belief and what ░░░░░░░░ a dodge Joining me ░░░░░░░░ is Dr Robert Klitzman ░░░░░░░░ professor of psychiatry and ░░░░░░░░ of Bioethics Masters Program ░░░░░░░░ Columbia University He s ░░░░░░░░ the author of The ░░░░░░░░ Police The Struggle to ░░░░░░░░ Human Research Safe and ░░░░░░░░ wrote this L A ░░░░░░░░ op ed that caught ░░░░░░░░ eye The next threat ░░░░░░░░ the horizon Religious exemptions ░░░░░░░░ vaccine mandates Dr Klitzman ░░░░░░░░ you so much for ░░░░░░░░ here Tell me about ░░░░░░░░ cancer patient who self ░░░░░░░░ KLITZMAN So I had ░░░░░░░░ patient who had terrible ░░░░░░░░ She was told that ░░░░░░░░ s treatable if she ░░░░░░░░ and gets chemotherapy She ░░░░░░░░ decided that prayer alone ░░░░░░░░ Chinese herbal medicine was ░░░░░░░░ to help her and ░░░░░░░░ is what she pursued ░░░░░░░░ of medical treatment and ░░░░░░░░ came back to the ░░░░░░░░ not long afterwards and ░░░░░░░░ cancer had basically taken ░░░░░░░░ her body I felt ░░░░░░░░ stomach and it had ░░░░░░░░ like rocks of tumor ░░░░░░░░ she died shortly thereafter ░░░░░░░░ her religious beliefs contributed ░░░░░░░░ her death unfortunately SMERCONISH ░░░░░░░░ that is so darn ░░░░░░░░ but we respect her ░░░░░░░░ to make that decision ░░░░░░░░ is it changed however ░░░░░░░░ it s a contagious ░░░░░░░░ and we re in ░░░░░░░░ midst of a pandemic ░░░░░░░░ Well it changes it ░░░░░░░░ lot So we believe ░░░░░░░░ religious freedom in this ░░░░░░░░ but we also believe ░░░░░░░░ Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes ░░░░░░░░ Said that your freedom ░░░░░░░░ speech your freedom ends ░░░░░░░░ the point at which ░░░░░░░░ yell fire falsely in ░░░░░░░░ crowded theater So there ░░░░░░░░ people who say for ░░░░░░░░ there are some Muslims ░░░░░░░░ are Jihadists who say ░░░░░░░░ religious belief is that ░░░░░░░░ should kill infidels Well ░░░░░░░░ s OK perhaps if ░░░░░░░░ s your religious belief ░░░░░░░░ we respect people s ░░░░░░░░ beliefs but there are ░░░░░░░░ on it We don ░░░░░░░░ say fine you have ░░░░░░░░ religious belief you want ░░░░░░░░ harm other people go ░░░░░░░░ harm other people So ░░░░░░░░ are limits in our ░░░░░░░░ to how far religious ░░░░░░░░ can go And I ░░░░░░░░ add that Judeo Christian ░░░░░░░░ all say we should ░░░░░░░░ love our neighbors and ░░░░░░░░ other people and care ░░░░░░░░ our parents and our ░░░░░░░░ and not getting a ░░░░░░░░ puts these people in ░░░░░░░░ SMERCONISH Well how in ░░░░░░░░ world are employers including ░░░░░░░░ federal government going to ░░░░░░░░ able to sort this ░░░░░░░░ KLITZMAN Well I think ░░░░░░░░ we need to come ░░░░░░░░ with guidelines I think ░░░░░░░░ the Biden administration and ░░░░░░░░ and local health departments ░░░░░░░░ instance need to say ░░░░░░░░ is what can be ░░░░░░░░ rather than just checking ░░░░░░░░ a box yes I ░░░░░░░░ to have a religious ░░░░░░░░ or even providing a ░░░░░░░░ because at this point ░░░░░░░░ are lots of templates ░░░░░░░░ on how to get ░░░░░░░░ of having to get ░░░░░░░░ vaccine using a religious ░░░░░░░░ Just cut and paste ░░░░░░░░ text I think having ░░░░░░░░ interview with the person ░░░░░░░░ saying OK this is ░░░░░░░░ belief tell me about ░░░░░░░░ A problem is that ░░░░░░░░ lot of religious exemptions ░░░░░░░░ people are claiming and ░░░░░░░░ s lots of them ░░░░░░░░ now are based on ░░░░░░░░ People saying for instance ░░░░░░░░ all vaccines are made ░░░░░░░░ fetal cells and I ░░░░░░░░ pro life Well that ░░░░░░░░ simply not true One ░░░░░░░░ Johnson Johnson was developed ░░░░░░░░ cells derived from fetal ░░░░░░░░ from 40 years ago ░░░░░░░░ those cells have been ░░░░░░░░ thousands of times in ░░░░░░░░ lab and basically every ░░░░░░░░ medicine that we take ░░░░░░░░ used was developed using ░░░░░░░░ same lines So every ░░░░░░░░ was also developed using ░░░░░░░░ fetal cell lines and ░░░░░░░░ importantly there are several ░░░░░░░░ Pfizer Moderna et cetera ░░░░░░░░ were not developed using ░░░░░░░░ lines So I think ░░░░░░░░ these misunderstandings is important ░░░░░░░░ So where no major ░░░░░░░░ is anti vax and ░░░░░░░░ m hearing anecdotally and ░░░░░░░░ troublesome among healthcare providers ░░░░░░░░ all of a sudden ░░░░░░░░ are finding religion It ░░░░░░░░ disproportionate right I mean ░░░░░░░░ aren t that many ░░░░░░░░ known to be following ░░░░░░░░ other than the major ░░░░░░░░ suddenly asserting hey all ░░░░░░░░ a sudden it reminds ░░░░░░░░ of when as a ░░░░░░░░ s lawyer I d ░░░░░░░░ trying a case and ░░░░░░░░ the jury selection process ░░░░░░░░ would have a disproportionate ░░░░░░░░ of folks claiming to ░░░░░░░░ Jehovah s witnesses who ░░░░░░░░ couldn t sit in ░░░░░░░░ and my attitude was ░░░░░░░░ I didn t even ░░░░░░░░ you on the jury ░░░░░░░░ that case Anyway respond ░░░░░░░░ the disproportionality if there ░░░░░░░░ one KLITZMAN I think ░░░░░░░░ are using it as ░░░░░░░░ excuse People are saying ░░░░░░░░ just don t want ░░░░░░░░ vaccine be it because ░░░░░░░░ my political views or ░░░░░░░░ don t want someone ░░░░░░░░ me in the arm ░░░░░░░░ we need to remember ░░░░░░░░ by not getting a ░░░░░░░░ we are putting other ░░░░░░░░ in danger we have ░░░░░░░░ of Americans dying every ░░░░░░░░ of Covid and we ░░░░░░░░ stop this pandemic if ░░░░░░░░ get everyone vaccinated and ░░░░░░░░ think religious exemptions are ░░░░░░░░ major problem in getting ░░░░░░░░ done.”