George Mason University law professor sues over vaccine mandate
Virginia | August 13, 2021
George Mason University has mandated all students to submit proof of their COVID-19 vaccinations to the university by August 1 to be permitted on campus for the fall semester. Students with approved medical or religious exemptions and students who are taking only online courses are excluded from this mandate. Faculty and staff are being held to the same standard to work on campus.
GMU is one of many large Virginia universities with this requirement, including James Madison University, Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University and others around the commonwealth which are all requiring proof of vaccination for students, staff and faculty wishing to be present on campus.
But law professor Todd Zywicki of the GMU Antonin Scalia Law School was upset by the mandate and the consequences of not following the requirement and has since filed a lawsuit with the New Civil Liberties Alliance against the university. Zywicki feels the vaccine requirement is an infringement of his rights as the available vaccines have not been fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration. “I did get COVID and now my college wants to make me get vaccinated in order to do my job and the evidence is clear on this, which is that natural immunity is at least as, if not better, protection against COVID infection than any of the vaccines that are on the market,” Zywicki told FOXNews.
After speaking with an immunologist, Zywicki stated that he has a strong immunity to the virus after taking several antibody tests, thus supporting his statement that the vaccine is unnecessary for him. The New Civil Liberties Alliance issued a press release about the case saying “Professor Zywicki has recovered from Covid-19 and thereby acquired robust natural immunity, as confirmed in multiple positive SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests during the past year. Professor Zywicki’s immunologist, Dr. Hooman Noorchashm, has advised him that, based on his personal health and immunity status, it is medically unnecessary to get a Covid-19 vaccine—and that it violates medical ethics to order unnecessary procedures.”.. (Excerpts from the Fairfax County Times)