Lawyers for Syosset health care workers, state argue over NY vaccine requirement
Two Syosset nurses and a third health care worker from Syracuse say it violates their First Amendment right of freedom of religion.
News 12 Staff
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Oct 27, 2021, 9:49 PM
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Updated 926 days ago
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281ds agoA battle over New York's vaccine mandate for health care workers played out in court Wednesday.
Two Syosset nurses and a third health care worker from Syracuse say it violates their First Amendment right of freedom of religion.
An attorney for the state of New York said that the rule is neutral and does not stem from any religious hostility, but instead the public health council implemented the emergency mandate to carry over to COVID-19.
"The longstanding vaccination requirements for measles and rubella, which have not had a religious exemption since their inception in the '80s and '90s," they said.
The health care workers say their rights violated because the vaccine requirement does not allow an exemption for "sincere religious beliefs that compel the refusal of some vaccinations."
In a statement to News 12, a lawyer representing one of the workers said in part, "Governor Hochul's attempt to banish people of faith from society are offensive to the tolerance that the Constitution requires."
