A lawsuit challenging the University System of Maryland’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate was filed last week in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.
The lawsuit — which was brought by two college students and a state employee — states that the requirement that all students, faculty and staff get vaccinated violates several of their rights, including their right to reject medical treatment.
The vaccine mandate, which was announced in April, was based on the recommendation of a working group for the university system.
The complaint claims that the mandate “denies the plaintiff’s liberty” and that those mandating the vaccine must provide stronger reasoning for the mandate beyond “speculation, exaggerated fears or post-hoc rationalizations.”
The suit was announced by an organization called the Coalition for Future Maryland, which says its goal is “to stop discriminatory policies against students and employees who choose to not receive the vaccine for medical, religious, or other reasons.”
The lawsuit asserts that the grounds for the complaint come from the constitution and a U.S. code that outlines the use of medical products for use during states of emergency, as well as state and federal laws that require informed consent for all medical treatments.
A spokesman for the university system said it doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
