AG Jeff Landry Cites Federal and State Protection from
Mandated Vaccinations
BATON ROUGE, LA – Citing federal and state law protections
for employees and students, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry is urging
Louisiana State University to not mandate COVID vaccines at the school.
In a letter to Interim President Thomas Galligan, Attorney General Landry says
LSU should not require COVID vaccinations for students or condition
participation in education programs or continued employment on taking COVID
vaccines authorized under an Emergency Use
Authorization (EUA).
Attorney General Landry explained that some people hold
sincere religious beliefs against taking vaccines in general, or taking those
derived from aborted fetal cell lines, or sold by companies that profit from
the sale of vaccines and other products derived from abortion. He also noted
that other people are concerned regarding the potential long-term health
effects on their bodies of COVID vaccines, which have not been subject to
long-term testing.
“LSU employees and students are protected against mandated
COVID vaccines, under 21U.S.C. §360bbb-3, which provides that EUA products
require (as a condition of emergency approval) that people have ‘the option to
accept or refuse administration of the product,’” wrote Attorney General
Landry. “’FDA has an obligation to ensure that recipients of the vaccine under
an EUA are informed… that they have the option to accept or refuse the
vaccine.’”
“Louisiana law recognizes the right of students to be free
from ‘creed’ discrimination, which includes discrimination based on religious
beliefs and nonreligious beliefs,” continued Attorney General Landry.
“Louisiana requires postsecondary institutions to recognize religious and other
personal reasons as exemptions to vaccine mandates.”
Attorney General Landry concluded his letter requesting a
written response from LSU that no COVID vaccine mandates will be issued.