One Democrat member of Congress will not allow unvaccinated people into her offices for in-person meetings. The policy of Democratic Rep. ...
One Democrat member of Congress will not allow unvaccinated people into her offices for in-person meetings.
The policy of Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama, who has railed against discrimination when it might impact her at the voting booth, came to light in an innocuous fashion, according to Spectator World.
Sewell’s office had sent an email to other congressional offices about some peanuts the office was sharing with other offices, when the email signature was noticed.
“PLEASE NOTE: Proof of COVID-19 vaccinations are required for every in-person or in-office meeting with the Congresswoman or with Staff,” the email signature read.
This prompted two questions from Spectator World.
“What is Representative Sewell’s reasoning for the vaccine mandate in her office when we know that vaccinated individuals can still catch and spread the virus?” read one, with the other asking, “Can you confirm that the rule applies to constituents? Will there be any exceptions?”
Sewell’s office replied that Sewell has met with unvaccinated people when she attends outdoor events in her district, and they are allowed on Zoom calls.
The office “has a vaccine mandate for official visits and in-person meetings. They also informed us that her district offices in Alabama have the same policy,” Spectator World reported.
Sewell has supported President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates, according to the New York Post.
“This is a life-or-death situation, and it requires leadership. And President Biden is showing that leadership,” Sewell said last year.
Sewell is fortunate that she does not live in Montana, which banned this sort of discrimination last year, according to Axios.
Montana last year passed a law that said any businesses, governmental entities or places of what’s known as “public accommodation,” such as grocery stores, hotels or restaurants, cannot withhold goods or services based on vaccination status.
“This is a civil rights statute. It absolutely is,” Nicholas Bagley, a law professor at the University of Michigan.
“What this law is saying is that a restriction directed at the unvaccinated is prohibited in the same way as you’d be prohibited from putting up a sign saying, ‘no Irish admitted,’” he said.
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