CT church fights in court for right to reject COVID vaccine – Hartford Courant

The Milford Christian Church defended what it sees as its right to defy the states vaccination requirements Monday, as the state of Connecticut sought to have the churchs lawsuit against those requirements dismissed in U.S. District Court in New Haven.

The churchs lawsuit rests on its objection to abortion, as members claim cell lines from aborted fetuses were used in the development of COVID-19 vaccines.

The state, represented by lawyers from the attorney generals office and the Department of Education, argued its case before U.S. District Judge Victor Bolden.

Ed Stannard/Hartford Courant

Assistant Attorney General Darren Cunningham argued that two defendants, Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker, whose agency has oversight for K-12 education, and Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani, should be removed from the case because they have no enforcement power over the private school.

The third defendant is Beth Bye, commissioner for the Office of Early Childhood.

Further, Cunningham said, We dont believe any of the named plaintiffs have any students in K-12.

Both sides cited an August decision by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, We the Patriots v. Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, which upheld the dismissal of a similar case brought in the same courthouse in 2022.

Some of this ground is ground that was plowed in that case, Bolden said.

The Milford churchs lawyer, Cameron Atkinson of Harwinton, said he will appeal that case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In terms of the First Amendment claims were bringing, we believe the Supreme Court has already said that were dealing with strictly a free exercise of religious beliefs here, Atkinson said at a press conference after the court hearing.

We believe, whether we have to go to the Supreme Court or the buck stops sooner, were going to win this case. And if we have to go to the Supreme Court to get it overruled, thats where were going.

The Milford Christian Church, affiliated with the Assemblies of God, runs the Milford Christian Academy for kindergarten through grade 12 and the Little Eagles preschool and day care. It is fighting a 2021 state law that removed religious exemptions to avoid vaccinations.

Religious exemptions had grown in number, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The law grandfathered in those who had already received an exemption.

Church members objected to the COVID vaccines because they say they were tested or manufactured using cell lines that began with aborted fetuses, and the church objects to abortion.

You can have your mandates or you can have your preferences in terms of keeping communicable diseases from spreading, said Pastor James Loomer. But on the other hand, you need to honor religious exercise in America.

The religious basis here is the major vaccines have been manufactured with cell lines that were artificially developed from aborted fetuses, Atkinson said. We believe that we shouldnt take part in another persons sin or derive benefit from that. We believe abortion is immoral. We believe in the sanctity of life.

He said Loomer has been active across Connecticut in anti-abortion outreach.

If we just look back on the history of religious exemptions for Connecticut, theres 63 years of a religious exemption, Loomer said.

And when the religious exemptions were given during the polio epidemic in the late 50s, the legislature at the time wanted to safeguard religious liberty, he said. So they granted religious exemptions. And its interesting to note that polio was defeated with religious exemptions in place.

Our message to the state remains completely unchanged, Atkinson said. We dont care what the state does, were going to honor God first. Whatever public health interest the state has, people of faith deserve to have a place to pursue an honest and godly life.

Ed Stannard can be reached at estannard@courant.com.

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CT church fights in court for right to reject COVID vaccine - Hartford Courant