Civil Rights: Hospital Did Not Violate the Civil Rights Act by Firing Employee Who Refused Vaccine

​Employers whose policy requires their employees to be vaccinated against influenza or other diseases may be challenged in determining whether an employee who refuses the vaccine has expressed a valid objection that the employer must accommodate under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

In a precedent-setting opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit concluded that a hospital that fired an employee because he twice declined the flu vaccine, claiming a religious objection to the employer's vaccination policy, did not violate the employee's civil rights. The plaintiff's "religious" objections to the vaccine did not meet legal standards set forth by the U.S....