Florida Catholics slap down state AG by rejecting religious vaccine exemptions
The bishops' snub comes as the state continues to attack vaccines.
The bishops' snub comes as the state continues to attack vaccines.
The short version
- The bishops’ snub comes as the state continues to attack vaccines.
- Beyond sharing his personal interpretations with the bishops, Uthmeier threatened to withhold state scholarships and vouchers from Catholic school if they don’t change their position.
- The bishops responded with their own letter , which they made public last week.
What happened
With a firm crack, they smack down Uthmeier’s legal and theological arguments, while also noting that they’re being unnecessarily nice in explaining to him why he’s wrong. “[T]he Catholic bishops in Florida do not have to justify to your office their position on Catholic teaching and their reasons for the current vaccine policies,” they write.
Why it matters
But “out of respect,” they go on to demolish Uthmeier’s points, citing the hierarchical nature of the Catholic church, the religion clauses of the First Amendment, state laws, and previous court rulings.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.