Church employer describes vaccination as 'medical apartheid'
The Fair Work Commission is set to rule on a Byron Bay woman who alleges she was dismissed from her employment after receiving the COVID-19 vaccination. The woman asserts she was fired after her employer, a church, discovered she had received the jab last October. She is seeking compensation for three months’ wages, superannuation, and other unpaid entitlements.
The church runs a wellness clinic that supplies alternative medicines and medicinal cannabis to more than 2,000 customers. The woman says she received a letter from the church last October, stating its position that “to receive the COVID-19/Sars Cov 2 injection consciously and deliberately with intent is in contradiction to our Constitution and contrary to our position on what is required of us by our Lord God Creator.”
The letter blamed “the NSW state government’s enforced medical apartheid”. It went on to state that “no committee member or full member can be accepted” if they choose to receive “current or future planned injections” against COVID-19.
The woman told the ABC that she had avoided Western medicine for the past 25 years, but that this “particular scenario” warranted an exception. She described the church’s decision as “extremely hypocritical”, given it continues to serve vaccinated customers.
In response to a question from the ABC, the church said it viewed the vaccination as “a significant threat to this country maintaining its position as a representative democracy.”
The woman’s lawyer said the case could hinge on whether she is classified as an employee or an independent contractor by the Fair Work Commission.
The case comes as parliament enquires about the recently drafted Religious Discrimination Bill, which has sparked concerns that it may lead to discrimination based on sexuality, gender and race.
