Even as pandemic restrictions have already been loosened, Navy SEALs continue to fight for religious exemptions against the Biden administration’s military vaccine mandate.
“The law is on our side. The Constitution, federal law, and DOD regulations all protect religious liberty in the military, and our courts have repeatedly reminded us that there is no (COVID-19) exception to the Constitution,” said Mike Berry, senior counsel at the First Liberty Institute that is representing the SEALs.
A substantial number of the military’s elite positions, including Navy SEALs and fighter pilots, are seeking an exemption from the vaccine mandate, and some of those individuals intend to change careers if they can't escape. https://t.co/iwZJKWSzzz
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 11, 2021
First Liberty filed suit in November of last year on behalf of 26 Navy service members and other special warfare personnel against the Biden administration, arguing that the mandate violates their rights to free exercise of religion.
A Texas judge temporarily blocked the Navy from considering vaccination status through the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) in January, resulting in the Supreme Court granting a partial stay to the order three months later.
“Generally, military members are required to follow orders, but in this case, the military has shown sheer hostility toward religious exemptions rather than using the least restrictive means possible. In its effort to be draconian, the military refused to even recognize the now proved science of natural immunity,” said Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert.
According to data provided by the Department of Defense (DOD), only 46 sailors have been approved for religious exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine out of 3,375 other applicants since Aug. 24.
This comes weeks after disturbing images have surfaced showing the “deplorable” living conditions of Navy service members who are seeking religious exemptions from President Joe Biden’s draconian vaccine mandate.
“There is some sort of worm thriving in the stagnant water in the toilet bowls and on the floor in the leaked water around the base of the toilets,” one sailor explained.
The military members have been unable to leave, as the DOD apparently refused their requests for religious exemption.
“Needless to say, I do not feel comfortable or safe in this environment and I have contacted mental health services multiple times,” continued the sailor.
Biden signed an executive order last year that made taking the vaccine mandatory for federal employees and military personnel, saying: “This is not about freedom or personal choice. It’s about protecting yourself and those around you, the people you work with.”
