Dear BYU, We Do Not Consent!
Dear BYU, We Do Not Consent!
Dear BYU, We Do Not Consent!
On August 17th, 2020, Brigham Young University announced that it would require students, faculty, and staff to use a contact tracing app and submit to random medical testing for COVID-19.
This is a violation of our privacy, bodily autonomy, and a breach of the contract under which we accepted our invitation to BYU as a student or employee.
We call for BYU to respect God-given rights by taking the following steps:
- Make the use of the Healthy Together App voluntary.
- End the forced medical testing of students, faculty, and staff.
BYU demands the use of the Healthy Together App for students to gain access to on-campus services and MYBYU. This app will give the State of Utah and the Utah Health Department extensive access to students' health, location, and Bluetooth data. The State of Utah has a history of developer abuse and data breaches — notably, the breach of the health information of over 780,000 Utahns. We do not consent.
BYU requires students, faculty, and staff to submit themselves to invasive medical testing if they present with symptoms similar to COVID-19 or have contact with someone who tests positive. BYU also requires random asymptomatic testing.
The current science has shown that asymptomatic persons are unlikely to transmit the virus. It has been proven that good hygiene and good health practices are the only humanely acceptable responses for lowering the transmission of disease, and we encourage BYU to teach and promote these practices.
As confirmed by the American Medical Association, "Informed consent to medical treatment is fundamental in both ethics and law." All those associated with the university have the right to refuse medical testing at any time, including when they present with symptoms of COVID-19. We do not consent.
We thank those who stand with us and sign this petition for defending our God-given rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Signed,
Bella Isom (Washington, Utah)
Naomi Hernández (Utqiaġvik, Alaska)