Wednesday’s lawsuit was filed by a Christian conservative non-profit group on behalf 35 U.S. Navy SEALs. It claims they were denied COVID exemptions due to religious grounds and that their mandate from the Defense Department violated their First Amendment rights.
The suit, which lists 35 unnamed service members, argues that the Pentagon is overstepping its bounds as a federal body and is infringing upon their constitutional rights, with the Navy requiring them to be fully vaccinated by November 28 – after they have been denied a religious exemption for getting the jab.
DailyMail.com has obtained the file. It states that the plaintiffs were all Christian, and have reacted against the mandate, claiming it violates their sincerely held religious beliefs.
According to data from the Defense Department, it is believed that 99.4% are vaccinated in the U.S Navy. DailyMail.com has obtained a suit naming the Department of Defense, which oversees several branches of the US Military, including the Navy.
On behalf of the group, The First Liberty Institute filed a petition. This organization is the largest non-profit legal firm in the United States and is highly regarded by the Christian Right, who specialize in First Amendment matters relating to religion.
It claims that SEALs have been threatened, harassed, and even forced to comply with demands in some instances. They also claim they were denied religious exemptions.
‘The fact that the government has not granted a single religious exemption from the vaccine mandate shows that the Biden Administration does not care about religious freedom,’ First Liberty Institute’s general counsel Mike Berry said in a statement to DailyMail.com on Wednesday.
“Instead, it appears that this is an attempt at ideological purge. It is a violation of the Constitution and American values to force a military member to make a choice between serving their country and their faith. The Navy threatens their families and careers after all the heroic actions of these brave warriors to protect our freedoms. It is appalling, and we must stop it before more harm to our national security.
According to the suit which names 35 military personnel, the Pentagon violates its federal authority and infringes upon their constitutional rights. After being denied an exemption from religious persecution for receiving the jab, the Navy required them all to be fully immunized by November 28.
All the SEALs involved in the suit, which was filed Tuesday by First Liberty Institute are Christians and they are resisting the COVID mandate, because it is contrary to their sincerely held religious beliefs.
This Tuesday filing came as U.S. Navy active-duty servicemembers face a November 28 deadline. Others branches may have used different timings to get vaccinated. For example, the Air Force saw its November 3 deadline and reported that about 97% of active-duty personnel were vaccinated. The President Joe Biden announced that all federal employees must get the vaccine by November 22, and contractors until January 4, 2022.
The suit has surfaced amid reports of a growing number of SEALs seeking religious exemptions to the mandate who are reportedly being threatened and, in a few instances, purportedly harassed into complying with the demands set forth by the Department of Justice – which oversees all U.S. Military departments, including the Navy and the SEALs.
Navy threatens to penalize service personnel who do not get mandated vaccines.
Fox News reported that the suit cites several instances where SEALs have been threatened with such punishments.
According to the filing, several plaintiffs were told by the Navy that they could confiscate their Special Warfare (like the SEAL Trident’) pins.
The 35 SEALs represented in the suit attest that their religious beliefs as Christians, namely those in opposition to abortion, do not allow them to receive medications ‘tested or produced using aborted fetal cell lines’
The Department of Justice has been accused of refusing to give religious exemptions to members of its staff. This is why it violates the U.S. Constitution as well as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).
The Navy is particularly quick to deny servicemembers such claims.
First Liberty Institute asserts in the lawsuit that some SEALs representing the firm are being made ‘non-deployable’ simply for requesting religious exemptions.
Federal lawsuit claims that Navy leadership’s threat to non-deployability substantial pressures Plaintiffs [to take] an action (receiving a COVID-19 shot) that would violate Plaintiffs religious beliefs. First Liberty argues this is a violation of these SEALs’ rights, under RFRA, to practice their religion.
In the lawsuit, SEALs also testified that they are against abortion and their faith does not permit them to be given medications “tested or made using aborted foetus cell lines.”
Additionally, SEALs argue that the “human body” is God’s Temple. They are forced to avoid any substances that could adversely affect or modify their bodies natural processes.
The vaccine has been linked to myocarditis, a deadly condition, in young men who received the jab. This is a concern for some younger SEALs, the lawsuit states.
A number of SEALs were issued a warning by the Department of Defense that those who refuse the COVID-19 vaccination based on religious or personal beliefs would be expelled. [special operator]BUMED, unless disqualification is specifically waived by BUMED),” the lawsuit states. This ruling will have an impact on special pay and deployment. This doesn’t apply to allergies and medical contraindications to vaccination administration.
First Liberty Institute claims that despite clients giving reasons for religious exemption, not one plaintiff had an accommodation request granted. Many petitions were flatly rejected.
Many servicemen have received medical exemptions granted by the military, unlike religious demands.
Defense Department data show that approximately 99.4% (or 99.4%) of U.S. Navy personnel are currently vaccinated.
The US Military released vaccination rates across the branches with its most recent data from November 3, detailing how many service members are fully versus partially vaccinated