As vaccine mandates are becoming increasingly forced upon government employees at every level, a coalition has been formed to fight back against the medical discrimination in one state – and it may lead to many more like it.
An alliance of police and firefighters have decided to sue Oregon Gov. Kate Brown over her mandate requiring COVID-19 vaccination for state workers.
The lawsuit, filed in Jefferson County Circuit Court, says the plaintiffs are the Oregon Fraternal Order of Police along with troopers from around the state and firefighters at the Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base in Klamath County, KOIN-TV reported.
The suit names the governor and the state of Oregon as defendants.
The group is asking a judge to declare Brown’s executive order “unenforceable,” claiming it allegedly works against existing Oregon statutes and would result in wrongful termination of employees, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed after one Oregon trooper publicly posted a video on Instagram declaring his refusal to comply with the state’s unconstitutional vaccine mandate. As a result of simply posting the video – the trooper was placed on paid leave.
“I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, to protect the freedom of the people who pay my salary,” Zachary Kowing, 29, said in the video posted to Instagram last week. “I do not work for my governor but for them.”
The order was announced in August as the state’s governor reinstated indoor mask mandates thanks to a surge of COVID-19 cases. The order requires all executive branch employees with the state of Oregon to be fully vaccinated on or before Oct. 18 or six weeks after a vaccine receives full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
But Officer Kowing said the order does not account for his religious beliefs. “I have personal and religious reasons as to why I will not take the vaccine, as well as the freedom to choose not to,” he said in the video which was filmed in his patrol car, adding that he has “fallen in line” for more than a year “with these useless, ineffective mask mandates and I will no more.”
The Pfizer vaccine became the first COVID-19 vaccine to receive FDA approval on Aug. 23 but many remain skeptical of it as studies have shown that vaccinated individuals can still contract and spread the virus. Doctors have also warned the future strains of the virus will render the minimally tested vaccines entirely useless altogether.
Gov. Brown spokesperson Liz Merah said in a statement that the governor is responding to a public health crisis.
“Given the seriousness of the situation, employer vaccine requirements have become an important tool, and state government plays a part. It’s critical to protect state workers, workplaces, and facilities, as well as members of the public who use state services.”
In actuality, these vaccine mandates have been weaponized for political purposes. The left has used them to seize power wherever possible – while red states have taken a stance and banned the forced vaccinations.
Author: Jake Elson
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