Open Letter to President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Administration

Dear President Trump,

We are writing to bring to your attention a deeply concerning matter regarding the State of Maine's violation of fundamental rights protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, Title IV and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and basic principles of informed consent.

In 2019, Maine enacted LD 798, a law that eliminated religious and philosophical exemptions to vaccine requirements for school attendance and certain employment, including higher education and healthcare settings. As a result, individuals with sincere religious beliefs or philosophical objections to vaccination have been denied access to education and employment. This law, combined with Governor Janet Mills’ COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, has created a hostile environment for those exercising their constitutional rights.

This is not only discriminatory but stands in direct conflict with:

• The First Amendment, which guarantees the free exercise of religion.
• Title IV and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibit discrimination based on religion in education and employment.
• Informed Consent laws, which affirm the right of every individual to receive full disclosure and make voluntary decisions regarding medical procedures without coercion or penalty.

Important Clarification:

This letter and petition do not take a position on vaccines themselves. This is not a debate about the effectiveness or safety of vaccines. Rather, this is about protecting the right to choose, defending religious freedom, and ensuring that no American is forced to violate their sincerely held beliefs to participate in public life, receive an education, or maintain employment.

The Human Cost in Maine

Healthcare Workers:

Maine’s healthcare industry was devastated by the vaccine mandate, which forced countless experienced and dedicated professionals out of their jobs simply because they declined the COVID-19 vaccine, often for religious reasons.

• MaineHealth, the state’s largest hospital system, anticipated losing between 350 to 400 employees, including nurses critical to patient care.
• Northern Light Health reported losing 381 employees, including 127 nurses, directly due to the mandate.

This manufactured staffing crisis became so severe that, as reported by The Maine Wire, hospitals that fired these unvaccinated workers are now pleading for them to return due to dire shortages. Two years after enforcing the mandate, hospitals like Central Maine Medical Center (CMMC) have been actively reaching out to the very professionals they once terminated, asking them to come back and fill the staffing gaps that are now endangering patient care. (The Maine Wire, August 2023)

Despite this reversal in practice, House Democrats in Maine voted in June 2023 against a bill that would have reinstated healthcare workers who were fired over the vaccine mandate, denying these individuals the right to return to their professions even amid a workforce crisis. (The Maine Wire, June 2023)

Students:
The elimination of religious and philosophical exemptions through LD 798 has directly harmed children and families across Maine, stripping students of their right to education unless they submit to medical procedures that violate their deeply held beliefs.

Following the enactment of LD 798, hundreds of students were forced out of public and private schools, homeschooled against their will, or denied the ability to participate in classroom learning. For example, in Lewiston, over 120 students were at risk of removal from school due to non-compliance with state-mandated vaccines.

These policies have disproportionately punished families of faith, creating undue hardship and driving a wedge between parents and their children's educational futures.

Meanwhile, Maine has gone from having one of the lowest childhood vaccination rates in the country to one of the highest, according to the Portland Press Herald, (June 2023) While officials celebrate this as a public health victory, the reality is that this shift came directly at the expense of those who were expelled from schools and ostracized from their communities for standing by their religious and philosophical beliefs.

A Dangerous Precedent

LD 798 and related mandates have created a two-tiered society in Maine where individuals who stand by their religious or personal convictions are excluded from full participation in public life. The erosion of these fundamental rights is not just a local issue—it sets a chilling precedent for the rest of the country.

We respectfully, and urgently, request that your administration investigate the constitutionality of LD 798 and its enforcement. The citizens of Maine—and Americans everywhere—deserve protection from laws that violate their civil rights, religious freedoms, and bodily autonomy.

Thank you for your time, attention, and unwavering commitment to defending the rights of the American people.

Sincerely,

We, the concerned citizens of Maine