White House Requires Removal of TikTok App from FDA Withdraws Proposed Rule on General Principles for Food Standards New FAQs Dramatically Expand Scope of California Labor Contractor Today is the Day Dont Miss the Employer Deadline to Report to OSHA, PTO Seeks Comments on Role of Artificial Intelligence in Inventorship. it seems Maine will respect even mere trepidation over vaccination as sufficient, but only so long as it is expressed in medical and not religious terms. So it should, as in the case of a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine, which could be life-threatening. For a reprint of this article, please contact reprints@law360.com. NLR does not answer legal questions nor will we refer you to an attorney or other professional if you request such information from us. They said they will reintroduce the measure Tuesday, when a new legislative session begins at noon. Attorney Advertising Notice: Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. hXmo6+b(S@a6@qAUWm5#7NzxwD52iHK4C}L4 The National Law Review is not a law firm nor is www.NatLawReview.com intended to be a referral service for attorneys and/or other professionals. Religious and Medical Exemptions Annual Immunization Status Report 2022-2023 ASR Packet Form (IMM-7) and Instructions ASR School ID Finder NJDOH ASR ID Request & School Info Change Form For help completing the ASR, view the tutorial here ! However, these are intentionally written in such a way as to make exemptions rare because the way vaccines are effective is by their widespread almost universal adoption. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court, on a 6-3 vote, refused to review the First Circuits ruling. DC Circuit to Disputes Ancillary to Patent Matters: You Cant Sit Consumer Fraud PFAS Cases Continue To Rise. Religious exemption indicates that there is a provision in the statute that allows parents to exempt their children from vaccination if it contradicts their sincere religious beliefs. Yet another letter writer wraps medical misinformation in a cloak of religious belief.. Justice and Commerce Departments Announce Creation of Disruptive United States Department of Justice (DOJ), Biden Executive Order 14091 Strengthens Equity for Federal Agencies. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. For hours, loud chants from opponents disrupted the state Senate session, with protesters shouting, We do not consent, and In God we trust.. On February 26 th, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a shadow docket decision that could foretell sweeping limitations for public health measures, both within and outside the COVID-19 pandemic context. In the case of a religious objection to the vaccine, the state said employers "generally may not question the sincerity" of a person's religious beliefs or practices. hb```l@ 960%|nT )p+@HBJr-!>@AF But opponents claimed the bill is a dangerous government overreach and would have usurped their rights as parents and violated their freedom of religious expression. << /Contents 8 0 R /MediaBox [ 0 0 612 792 ] /Parent 28 0 R /Resources << /ExtGState << /G3 21 0 R /G9 26 0 R >> /Font << /F10 27 0 R /F4 22 0 R /F6 23 0 R /F7 24 0 R /F8 25 0 R >> /ProcSet [ /PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI ] /XObject << /X5 7 0 R >> >> /StructParents 0 /Type /Page >> Get the latest updates right in your inbox. And the highly anticipated Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rule, requiring employers with 100 or more employees to require the vaccinations or weekly testing, is anticipated to be promulgated imminently. cautioned, however, that employers do have the ability to challenge both exemptions, and their acceptance by your employer is not guaranteed. RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION / ACCOMMODATION REQUEST RELATED TO COVID-19 VACCINATION ** NOTE ** In order to ensure a prompt review of your request, this form must be completed, accompanied by the appropriate documentation identified below, and submitted to the University's Student Affairs Office (if a student) or Human Resources Department (if an employee) at the same That law mandates employers give their employees reasonable accommodation for their faiths. Kathy Hochul to declare a state of emergency to ensure hospital bed availability in case of a spike in admissions and Mayor Bill de Blasio to urge New Yorkers to wear masks in indoor public spaces. << /Pages 28 0 R /Type /Catalog >> Both appellate courts have instructed the lower district courts to continue their consideration of the legal challenges to the state mandates raised by proponents of religious exemptions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Current Revision Date: 02/2022 Authority or Regulation: 5 U.S.C. Religion will remain a valid excuse for children to bypass vaccination laws in New Jersey at least for now after state lawmakers Monday failed a second time to muster enough support to pass a controversial bill that would have repealed the option that thousands of the states families used last year. Amtrak Pact Puts MTAs Penn Station Access Megaproject Back on Schedule, Unlicensed Pot Shops Still Selling Weed Following NYPD Shutdown Actions, Contractor Gets Rare Homicide Conviction in Death of Crushed Brooklyn Worker. Ms. People have to prove that the mandate somehow targets their religion in order to be exempt from the requirement. By contrast, the Air Force had received 4,817 religious exemption requests but not granted a single one, as of Nov. 16. He added that the city has not broken down the data between religious and medical requests. One letter writer cites the use of aborted fetal cells in medical research as a violation of their faith. The science is settled, she told reporters after the session. Biden's mandate will require that employees of businesses with at least 100 workers either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing beginning on January 4. 4 0 obj But as of noon Monday, two legislative sources said the amendments drove some lawmakers away. "Write it sincerely," Wefer advises. No allowance will be made for regular testing as an option for those unwilling to be vaccinated. It must keep its healthcare facilities staffed in order to treat patients, whether they suffer from COVID-19 or any other medical condition. While following these guidelines may increase the likelihood that you boss will accept your religious exemption, Frattarelli says some companies are challenging them based on your past behavior. Schools, child care centers and local Under federal law, employers have a lot of discretion in granting the requests. Breaking the Link New Developments on U.S. That may be, but neither is a substitute for being warranted unless each is at least constitutional. Those staffers whose names were redacted are also covered by the vaccine mandate. If an employer demonstrates that it is unable to reasonably accommodate an employees religious beliefs relating to a vaccine mandate without posing an undue hardship on its operations, then Title VII does not require the employer to provide the accommodation. Meanwhile, the emergence of the Omicron variant has spurred Gov. endobj As of Dec. 8, all Rutgers University faculty and staff are to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or have an approved medical or religious exemption. 2105 DOWNLOAD THIS FORM: Choose a link below to begin downloading. Form: GSA19R Request for a Religious Exception to the COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement Form is for GSA employee use only. TRENTON, N.J. New Jersey's Assembly on Monday passed a measure to eliminate religious exemptions for vaccines for schoolchildren, but the bill stalled in the state Senate as opponents shouted so loudly they drowned out the session. In the latest U.S. Supreme Court action on the matter, Justice Stephen Breyer rejected a filing by eight hospital staffers in Massachusetts seeking to block a vaccine mandate. "It is despicable for a business or government agency to force someone to take a vaccine that is unproven, dangerous and not fully tested," the church said in a statement. Any reliance on Gorsuch here would be ill-advised. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Religious objectors to COVID-19 vaccines often express concern about the use of fetal cells in their development. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. << /Filter /FlateDecode /S 36 /Length 67 >> BREAKING DOWN THE PRIVACY ACT REVIEW REPORT #3: Removal of The Small White House Releases National Cybersecurity Strategy, Illinois High Court Rules Per-Scan Damages Can Be Awarded Under BIPA, Grassley-Wyden Bill Aims to Fix Broken Tax Whistleblower Law, Lessons Learned From 2022s Trade Secret Verdicts, Mass. The Department of Health also participates in cases involving medical accommodation requests. "Stick to your sincerely held religious belief.". Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). COVID Vaccine Religious Exemption Letters Show Battle of Faith vs. Science - THE CITY Notes from clergy, obtained by THE CITY, range from citing "morality" to erroneous declarations that the vaccine causes COVID. According to OHA's vaccine rules, a religious exception means "that an individual has a sincerely held religious belief that prevents the individual from receiving a COVID-19 vaccination." In . The following information is meant to explain New Jersey vaccination exemptions as they currently exist. In Does 1-6 v. Mills, the First Circuit, in declining to bar Maine from enforcing its vaccination mandate for healthcare workers based on the failure to provide for a religious exemption, reasoned: We conclude that exempting from vaccination only those whose health would be endangered by vaccination does not undermine Maines asserted interests here: (1) ensuring that healthcare workers remain healthy and able to provide the needed care to an overburdened healthcare system; (2) protecting the health of those in the state most vulnerable to the virusincluding those who are vulnerable to it because they cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons; and (3) protecting the health and safety of all Mainers, patients and healthcare workers alike. An employee who fails to cooperate with a reasonable request for verification risks losing any subsequent claim that the employer improperly denied an accommodation. stream Telehealth Update: DEA Issues Long-Awaited Proposed Rule on Prescribing Controlled Navigating the FCC's Universal Service Program: Compliance Requirements for Service Providers, Financial Services: Use of Limitation-of-Liability Clauses in Fiduciary Relationships. endstream For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Due to their effectiveness, many diseases known to have a devastating, sometimes fatal, effect on children, such as polio, were nearly eradicated in our country," Amisha Malhotra, a pediatric infectious disease expert and associate professor at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, said in a statement Monday in support of the bill. The Democrat-led Assembly passed the bill 45-25, with six abstentions, but the Democrat-controlled state Senate postponed a vote because there weren't enough yes votes, according to the bill's sponsor and Senate President Steve Sweeney. However, some are claiming they are exempt, based on their religion. Courts have found undue hardship where, for example, the religious accommodation, if granted, would impair workplace safety, diminish efficiency in other jobs, or cause co-workers to carry the accommodated employees share of potentially hazardous or burdensome work. 8:57-4.3 and N.J.A.C. With hundreds of parents once again staging a high-decibel protest outside the Statehouse in Trenton, a planned vote on the latest version of the legislation was called off because leaders in the state Senate fell one vote short on the last day of New Jerseys two-year legislative session. Sign up and get the latest stories from THE CITY delivered to your inbox each morning, COVID Vaccine Religious Exemption Letters Show Battle of Faith vs. Science. Since the advent of the COVID-19 vaccines early in 2021, potential religious exemptions to mandatory vaccine requirements have been a challenging legal issue and focus of debate. endobj Y&+"b`,$O@0x$,``$s endstream endobj startxref 0 %%EOF 237 0 obj <>stream The cell lines involved are so many generations separated from abortion-related fetal tissue that nothing of this tissue is to be found in them. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Illinois Paid Leave Bill Adds New Wrinkle To Legal Patchwork, DOL Scraps Expanded Religious Carveout For Contractors, 4 Takeaways From Seattle's Groundbreaking Caste Bias Ban, High Court Turns Away A Trio Of Discrimination Battles, My Virtual Valentine: Online Rules Crucial In Pandemic Era, 2nd Circ. Hundreds of people demonstrated against vaccine mandates during a protest outside City Hall, Nov. 3, 2021. Rutgers administration has been asked to remove the religion-based exemption from its vaccination requirements but has declined. U.S. labor law and some state vaccination laws provide for limited religious exemptions to vaccination mandates. Above, fans line up to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine or recent negative test before the Syracuse vs. Rutgers game at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. on Sept. 11, 2021. God willing thats the case. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. The New Jersey bill gained traction this year, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says has seen the greatest number of measles cases reported since 1992. Religion will remain a valid excuse for children to bypass vaccination laws in New Jersey at least for now after state lawmakers Monday failed a second time to muster enough support to pass. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. 8:57-6.15. endobj "There is no basis for a priest to issue a religious exemption to the vaccine," stated a July 30 memo from the archdiocese's chancellor, John P. Cahill, to all pastors, administrators, and. Concern about the vaccination rate grew last year after an outbreak of measles was reported in Rockland County, N.Y. and New York City, where more than 70 percent of the 1,282 cases in the nation occurred, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Requests for religious exceptions have recently surged, some are protected by law. The court didnt question the validity of the vaccine mandate, but found the way the DOE judged the requests to be legally lacking. All of these issues remain in flux and it will be very telling how, if at all, the forthcoming OSHA rule addresses these issues. EXPOSED: Does a New NCLC Ex Parte Filing Expose Their True Agenda to Little Weight Given to Conclusory Expert Declaration That Repeats IPR Department of Homeland Security Provides Information Related to EB-5 PTAB: Vidal Refocuses Guidance On Fintiv Factors And Discretionary Aluminum Is Now A Hot Topic In Supply Chain And Trade. The vaccine is made from aborted fetuses. Were gonna attack it with medical experts, putting facts out, he said. The three nurses unsuccessfully argued the mandate did not give enough latitude to people who argue their religious beliefs should exempt them. Kristi Noem is pushing a bill that would exempt workers from vaccination if they submit a one-sentence statement saying they object to the shot on religious grounds. Thank you, God! they chanted from the gallery above the Senate chamber. Hundreds of FDNY members and other emergency responders packed the street outside Gracie Mansion to protest the vaccine mandate for city workers, Oct. 28, 2021. The Supreme Court Grants Petition to Decide Constitutionality of CFPB Understanding Your Law Firms Value Proposition, Spike in Migrants Crossing U.S.-Canada Border Raising Concerns, Bill to Amend the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act Introduced to Congress, Energy & Sustainability Washington Update March 2023. Given that applicable federal, state and local laws generally require accommodation of an employees sincerely-held religious beliefs if they do not create an undue hardship on the employers operations, the highly personal nature of these issues in the context of vaccination mandates raises a unique set of issues. The chances of defeating the mandate are between slim and none and slim is out of town, said Manhattan-based lawyer Jerold Levine, who focuses on civil service and gun rights cases. Some city agencies have been inundated with exemption requests, records show. Were ready to go to war over this, state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, told reporters after Mondays voting session at the Statehouse in Trenton. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System VAERS, National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, Emergency Use Approved COVID-19 Vaccinations, http://nj.gov/health/cd/documents/antibody_titer_law.pdf, http://www.state.nj.us/health/cd/documents/vaccine_qa.pdf. The appellate court noted that the Maine law did not single out religious objections to the vaccine because of their religious nature. The First Circuit also rejected plaintiffs injunction request based on Title VIIs religious accommodation requirements, explaining that plaintiffs would first need to exhaust their administrative remedies by filing a charge with the EEOC. Sue Collins, co-founder of the New Jersey Coalition for Vaccination Choice, said this was a victory for both religious and medical freedoms in the state. A nonprofit worker contracted with the city claimed a religious exemption to the vaccine mandate. But the changes quickly created new problems. Attorney Peter Frattarelli with Archer & Greiner P.C. Religious Exemption : an exemption to the immunization requirements set forth by the State of New Jersey based on my religious objections as pursuant to N.J.A.C. These letters, obtained by THE CITY, are among the thousands of the notes that clergy members have given to city workers and nonprofit staffers contracted with the city to get out of the employee vaccine mandate put in place by the de Blasio administration. Specific to the constitutional provisions for the free exercise of religion, consider what Judge Learned Hand in Otten v. Baltimore & Ohio R. Co. (1953) had to say: The First Amendment gives no one the right to insist that in pursuit of their own interests, others must conform their conduct to his own religious necessities. In Estate of Thornton v. Caldor (1985), the Supreme Court did just that, prefacing its citation of Hand by declaring that, This unyielding weighting in favor of Sabbath observers over all other interests contravenes a fundamental principle of the Religion Clauses, so well-articulated by Judge learned Hand., This unyielding preference for religious liberty is on full display in Gorsuchs dissent, which amounts to a dismissive treatment of Maines exemption based on medical grounds and an unqualified embrace of exemption on religious grounds. But last week, sponsors convinced Monmouth County Republican Declan OScanlon to vote yes. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. His defense of exemption for religious reasons derives from First Amendment protections for the free exercise of religion. By Friday night, NJ Advance Media reported the bill was in trouble again. The letters flowed in as everyone from the pope to the prominent rabbis and imams has encouraged their followers to get the jabs. Any legal analysis, legislative updates or other content and links should not be construed as legal or professional advice or a substitute for such advice. Make your employer fire you. In 61 of these cases, patients were hospitalized with complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis, the CDC said. 0!_1k{8S mmqWr->yAUf2 {|Y':N Gw2RB'TDt*%FJM(a*s]T[BveHN%562;ssiAu' @@bjHm#J(=s! Hundreds of parent protest a controversial vaccination bill outside the Statehouse in Trenton on Monday. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. COVID-19 vaccines have a remarkable degree of success in reducing the dire effects of this disease: severe illness, hospitalization, death. His office declined to say what he would do with the bill. Mobile Arbeit und regionale Feiertage was gilt? Lt. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) on September 29 requires that all universities receiving a state appropriation must ensure that students can receive religious and medical exemptions from the vaccine, provided that they obtain . The content and links on www.NatLawReview.comare intended for general information purposes only. This is about public health. In certain circumstances, Federal law may entitle a Federal employee who has a religious objection to the CO-19 VID Schools, child care centers and local By Chloe Reichel. JFIF C Philosophical exemption indicates that the statutory language does not restrict the exemption to purely religious or spiritual beliefs. Another letter, by a Manhattan-based Baptist pastor, says the church ministry does not support the mandate and erroneously stated that the vaccines ingredients creates possibility of long-term adverse effects such as COVID-19.. In the letter, ask to meet with your boss to discuss your beliefs and request to begin a dialogue. I would imagine anything more than that would constitute harassment and invite unwanted litigation from activists. Risk is Low. The administration might also be inclined to defend its exemption policy by invoking the opinion of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, who dissented in the Courts recent decision not to stay the State of Maines policy for mandatory vaccination for healthcare workers, providing an exemption on medical but not religious grounds. Over 94% of the close to 400,000 city workers were vaccinated as of early November. National Law Review, Volume XI, Number 307, Public Services, Infrastructure, Transportation, How to Donate Cryptocurrency and Other Digital Assets to Charity. Personal and political beliefs do not qualify employees for vaccination exemptions. << /BitsPerComponent 8 /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB /ColorTransform 0 /Filter /DCTDecode /Height 262 /Subtype /Image /Type /XObject /Width 710 /Length 34288 >> Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Since the two abortions occurred, one in 1973, the other in 1985, neither formal nor material cooperation is possible now, and cannot consequently justify an exemption from vaccination. They cheered wildly after the session ended around 6 p.m. without a vote on the measure. Accepting Cryptocurrency and Digital Asset Donations: What Charities Need to Know. 2021-03-25 17:02:34 -0400. Not to protect against such a risk was already acknowledged in Jacobson v. Massachusetts as cruel and inhuman in the last degree.. hbbd```b``5,,bfo- dz&G Consider then what Justice Marshall Harlan wrote for the Supreme Court in Jacobson v. Massachusetts (1905): the liberty secured by the Constitution of the United States to every person within its jurisdiction does not import an absolute right in each person to be, at all times and in all circumstances, wholly freed from restraint. Tellingly, he continued, There are manifold restraints to which every person is necessarily subject for the common good. And even more tellingly, he concluded, Real liberty for all could not exist under the operation of a principle which recognizes the right of each individual person to use his ownregardless of the injury that may be done to others.. NLRB Places New Limitations on Confidentiality and Non-Disparagement Settlement Will Benefit Many Aging-Out Children in the Green Card SEC Commissioner Discusses Reform to Regulation D, Massachusetts AG Settles Enforcement Action Against Auto Lender. We're not done with it. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has recently updated its guidance on religious accommodations applicable to COVID-19 vaccinations. 1 Exemption based on religion is one of several reasons parents can claim to avoid giving their children vaccines in certain states. When considering workplace safety, an employer may consider such factors includingthe nature of the employees duties, the number of employees who are vaccinated, how many employees and non-employees enter the workplace and the number of employees who will need a particular accommodation. There is no exemption for drunk driving or wearing a seat belt; there should not be an exemption from a patently safe vaccine that, if not taken, puts the health and well-being of our children at risk, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg said. &S&}L3r'0`=M3,g8-`\'T;wS"BL$ j% r- endstream endobj 176 0 obj <>/Metadata 33 0 R/Pages 173 0 R/StructTreeRoot 53 0 R/Type/Catalog/ViewerPreferences 203 0 R>> endobj 177 0 obj <>/MediaBox[0 0 612 792]/Parent 173 0 R/Resources<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 178 0 obj <>stream But what passes for the defense of the exemption is the claim that COVID vaccines are morally compromised due to their connection with cell lines derived from aborted fetuses. Weinberg stressed that no major religion opposes vaccinations. They dont have the capacity to go back and forth, she said. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. One evangelical Christian staffers religious exemption request cites the use of aborted fetal cells in some elements of vaccine testing and development. We will continue to closely monitor these developments. Many of the people who object to the vaccine for religious reasons cite the use of aborted fetal cells in the development of the vaccines as a reason to oppose them. Vaccine requirements, with charts to evaluate compliance. New Jersey Democrats think it's possible. Unfortunately, those who refuse vaccination, for . It . It bears emphasis, however, that the First and Second Circuits merely ruled that preliminary injunctions against enforcement of the state vaccination mandates for healthcare workers were not warranted. State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, the bills prime sponsor, said she would not be deterred. It remains an open issue whether an employer may, or must, still consider religious accommodation requests pertaining to mandated COVID-19 vaccinations, particularly in light of statutory and regulatory reasonable accommodation requirements as well as the EEOC Guidance. We will pass this bill. The most that may be required is maybe copies of your sacraments if they want to get intrusive. One letter by a priest cites the part of the Catechism of the Catholic Church that says: God willed that man should be in the hand of his own counsel., The letter then notes the employee seeking the exemption is exercising her faculty of reason while considering Church teachings founded upon Biblical revelation.. The Department of Health, Vaccine Preventable Disease Program, received inquiries seeking guidance on obtaining medical exemptions from mandatory immunizations for children attending schools, preschools, and child care facilities in New Jersey. Employers Beware: Non-Disparagement and Confidentiality Covenants in Consultation Paper On Review of Corporate Governance Norms For A High Californias War On The Fast-Food Industry Continues. Given that applicable Legislative Package Includes Bills to Advance Biofuels Research, PTO to Begin Issuing Electronic Patent Grants, OSHA to Expand the Use of Instance-by-Instance Penalties. She advises clients on a wide range of employment law issues including day-to-day advice and counsel on compliance with federal, state and local employment laws. Maines three interests are mutually reinforcing. You are encouraged to consult with your medical professional and legal adviser. The latter requires them to enable conditions contributing to it. xc``c``d``` 06 3030p6s`8`xaTJf$ K The bill (S2173) would have eliminated religion as a recognized reason for parents to avoid getting their children the vaccinations required to attend day care and schools in New Jersey. So You're Green Prove It or Be Prosecuted: ACCC Sweep Finds 57 California Court of Appeal Addresses When Violations are Willful or Whats new in Belgium on the employment front? Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. OQXOU@+l@`G%7+|6Y'* S R)A Y 2aA, 0beOZ}$`p~C?y6C2?*r?W|%{u=UQ=XWWIo,Dnp/,~+QD/~w_DNiY ]l{BB**}qq!&*UC\(Se/G5^|)J1C+^n%+HGXh#C4{0%Xo owFkFA&&, The Bible tells you that your body is a temple. Statement in compliance with Texas Rules of Professional Conduct. It would, however, be necessary to show it is not if Gorsuchs application of the First Amendment to vaccination exemption is to stand. Many hugged. The COVID-19 vaccine mandate presents an opportunity to affirm the Army's commitment to soldiers' religious liberty and spiritual readiness.