A Michigan State University (MSU) employee, who said she is “naturally immunized” from COVID-19, has filed a legal complaint against the school for including her in the vaccine mandate for students, faculty, and personnel.
Jeanna Norris, a fiscal officer and administrative associate at the university, is suing MSU President Samuel Stanley and the Board of Trustees for requiring her to get a vaccine though her immunologist advises she no longer needs one.
In the complaint filed before the US District Court’s western division, the plaintiff claims that she should be granted a vaccine exemption because she has already developed antibodies after contracting and surviving the virus. She also describes the requirement as “unconstitutional.”
According to Norris’ lawyer, the school will impose disciplinary action against the complainant should she choose to follow her doctor’s advice. “In short, the directive is unmistakably coercive and cannot reasonably be considered anything other than an unlawful mandate,” the attorney told MLive.
However, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and some medical experts from Michigan revealed that the immunity a person receives from COVID-19 vaccines may last longer than natural immunity. It might also provide better protection against other COVID-19 variants.
‘Vaccination or Termination’
Officials from MSU have yet to release a statement regarding the suit, but a spokesman said all faculty and staff who are still not vaccinated before in-person classes resume may face termination as a consequence.
If Norris disobeys the advice of her doctor for the sake of keeping her position at the university, the complaint states that she may endanger her health and cause her significant emotional distress.
“Ms. Norris is facing an impossible dilemma: lose her job or receive a vaccine that is medically unnecessary for her. Michigan State has placed her, and others like her, in this position for no good reason, because she has robust immunity as established by the overwhelming scientific literature,” litigation counsel Jenin Younes explained in a statement.
Meanwhile, Younes recognizes that there are health experts who do not believe in natural immunity, nor that it could be more protective than the available vaccines. She claims that the “integrity of the scientific process” will be vindicated in court.