Brief: On July 27, 2021, Ascension announced its intent to require Covid-19 vaccination for all associates. The statement includes: “Ascension will require that all associates be vaccinated against COVID-19, whether or not they provide direct patient care, and whether they work in our sites of care or remotely. This includes associates employed by subsidiaries and partners; physicians and advanced practice providers, whether employed or independent; and volunteers and vendors entering Ascension facilities.”

The purpose of this petition is to gain medical freedom for Ascension associates. It is unethical, immoral, and unjust to require an individual to accept any medical intervention that he or she does not wish to partake in. This injection remains in an active trial. No person should be forced to participate in a pharmaceutical drug trial that they have repeatedly and unequivocally denied.

Right to Choose: The Covid-19 Vaccine fact sheets state “It is your choice to receive or not receive the Covid-19 vaccine.” When Congress granted the authority to issue EUA’s, it required that every person be allowed to choose for himself or herself whether or not to receive an EUA product. FDA approval of this injection does not invalidate a human’s right to choose. Both the CDC and the FDA have consistently supported this right for individuals to choose.

Call to Action: The signees of this petition hereby call to action the leaders of Ascension. 

-Immediately retract the requirement for Ascension associates to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

-Immediately prevent those who have declined the Covid-19 vaccine to be terminated or otherwise discriminated against based on this decision.

-Allow associates to use documented natural immunity (antibodies, T-cell memory, or B-cell memory) as an exemption for the vaccine

As of July 23, 2021, only 46.3% of Florida and Gulf Coast Ascension Associates have been fully vaccinated. This means WE are the majority. There are thousands of physicians, nurses, and other healthcare workers that are willing to stand together to fight as a united front. We will not compensate our beliefs, we will not relent, we will not comply.

Respect your employees’ bodily autonomy, respect our rights to choose our own medical interventions, respect that we are saying, “No”.