A group of eight Indiana University students filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the university’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement violates the United States Constitution as well as the state’s vaccine passport law, as originally reported by the Indy Star.
In particular, the students filing the lawsuit claim that the requirement runs afoul of the 14th amendment, which allows for the right to reject medical treatment and protects bodily autonomy. IU adjusted the requirement following the Indiana Attorney General’s public opinion stating that the original mandate violated state law, though the university is still requiring students to sign a form stating they have received the vaccination.
While exemptions for religious and medical reasons are allowed, students under this category will still be required to wear face masks and be tested for COVID-19 twice weekly, which the lawsuit objects to. As for students ineligible for exemptions, the lawsuit claims they are being threatened with “virtual expulsion from school.”
IU has formally responded to the lawsuit, with spokesman Chuck Carney stating the university “is confident it will prevail in this case.” University officials maintain their updated requirement, not requesting documentation but simply leaving students on the honor system, was affirmed in the Attorney General’s public opinion and does not violate any state or federal law.
What separates this vaccine requirement from the others that IU imposes, according to the students involved in the lawsuit, is the fact that COVID-19 vaccinations are still only under emergency-use authorization (EUA), as well as the extra requirements being forced upon unvaccinated students. While the vaccine remains under EUA, the students will continue to object to the requirement, alleging it “violates medical ethics by coercing individuals into getting a vaccine whose long-term safety is still unknown and for an illness that poses little threat to young adults.” The students also believe that “the known and unknown risks associated with COVID vaccines, particularly in those under 30, outweigh the risks to that population from the disease itself.”
Another university spokesperson also defended the mandate, claiming “the requirement for all Indiana University students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated before the return to school in August remains in place.” “As part of IU’s response to the ongoing pandemic, the vaccine mandate is helping to support a return to safe and more normal operations this fall,” the spokesperson continued.