Coast Guard Relents, Allows Officer to Refuse Abortion-Tainted Vaccine

WASHINGTON, DC, May 13, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - U.S. Coast Guard officials who initially refused to excuse an officer from being injected with a vaccine derived from an aborted child have relented in the wake of a lawsuit filed on behalf of the officer by Alliance Defense Fund attorneys. The U.S. Coast Guard had refused to grant an exemption for Officer Joseph J. Healy, who is Catholic, even though it allows exemptions based on other religious beliefs.

"Christians shouldn't be punished for abiding by their beliefs against abortion. The Coast Guard has done the right thing in recognizing that those who lay their life on the line to defend our shores are entitled to same freedom as anyone else not to have their particular beliefs disregarded," said ADF Legal Counsel Matt Bowman.

"Members of the U.S. military should never be forced to make an unconstitutional choice between honoring their country and adhering to the belief that health and medicine can prosper without exploiting the killing of preborn children," Bowman said. the rest