By Tom Hals

(Reuters) – Oklahoma sued Ascension Healthcare on Friday as a result of the Roman Catholic hospital operator’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for workers allegedly violated the state’s legal guidelines in opposition to non secular discrimination, in what seemed to be the primary case of its type.

Oklahoma Lawyer Normal John O’Connor, a Republican, accused the group of discrimination by denying requests for non secular exemptions from the healthcare system’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement.

In response to the lawsuit, Mitchell Duininck, a doctor in Tulsa, sought a non secular exemption as a result of taking a vaccine that was developed with ties to aborted fetal cells would violate his sincerely held non secular beliefs.

After submitting a seven-page letter explaining his request, he obtained a denial with out rationalization in a course of the lawsuit described as a “sham.”

The legal professional basic requested the court docket to stop the operator from terminating workers and to cease summarily rejecting non secular exemptions.

O’Connor’s workplace stated it was not conscious of every other state legal professional basic suing a non-public employer over a vaccine mandate.

COVID-19 vaccine necessities have change into a divisive difficulty in the USA. Republican officers have gone to court docket to combat the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden over his efforts to extend vaccination charges via government-imposed necessities.

Many personal healthcare employers have issued their very own vaccine necessities, which have typically been upheld in court docket when challenged by staff.

Ascension stated in an announcement that it requires the vaccine for COVID-19 to make sure the protection of its workers and its sufferers.

The operator introduced the mandate in August and stated workers should get vaccinated for COVID-19 or get an authorised exemption for medical or non secular causes or face termination on Nov. 12.

O’Connor stated in an announcement that by flatly denying exemptions “Ascension dedicated non secular discrimination in opposition to Oklahoma healthcare heroes who oppose abortion.”