A Catholic woman has received $12.7 million in compensation after she was sacked from her job for refusing the Covid vaccine for religious reasons.
Lisa Domski was sacked from her job at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM), a nonprofit health insurance company serving Michigan residents, where she had worked for more than 30 years as an IT specialist.
In October 2021, BCBSM implemented a vaccine policy requiring staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or to apply for a religious or medical accommodation.
Domski applied for religious exemption using the channels set out by the company, which included providing a written statement explaining her beliefs and the name and contact information of her priest, but the company refused her request.
Domski had sought religious exemption based on her belief that the Covid vaccines in circulation at the time were all either tested or developed using fetal cells that originated in abortion.
In addition to this, Domski was working remotely at the time and therefore posed no risk to other employees.
After the verdict, Jon Marko, the attorney representing Domski, stated, “Lisa refused to renounce her faith and beliefs and was wrongfully terminated from the only job she had ever known.
"The jury’s verdict today tells BCBSM that religious discrimination has no place in America and affirms each person’s right to religious freedom.”
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan released the following statement:
"In implementing the vaccine policy, Blue Cross designed an accommodation process that complied with state and federal law and respected the sincerely held religious beliefs of its employees. While Blue Cross respects the jury process and thanks the individual jurors for their service, we are disappointed in the verdict. Blue Cross is reviewing its legal options and will determine its path forward in the coming days."
Some Catholics have voiced strong opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine, citing that aborted foetal cell lines were used in the development of some vaccines. However, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith clarified in December 2020 that it is "morally acceptable to receive Covid-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted foetuses in their research and production process" if no other options exist.
However, the same note made it clear that vaccination should not be mandatory, stating, "vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation and that, therefore, it must be voluntary”.
However, as the vaccine was rolled out internationally, it received overwhelming support from the Catholic hierarchy. In August 2021, Pope Francis described receiving the vaccine as “an act of love”, and the <a href="https://www.cbcew.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/03/catholic-position-on-vaccination-110820.pdf">Catholic Church in England and Wales</a> released a statement saying that it “strongly supports vaccination and regards Catholics as having a <em>prima facie</em> duty to be vaccinated”.
A 2024 <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-024-20133-4">BMC Public Health study</a> entitled "Religious Belonging and Covid-19 Vaccination" found a positive relationship between Catholic affiliation and vaccination rates on an international level, and according to a <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2021/09/15/majority-in-u-s-says-public-health-benefits-of-covid-19-restrictions-worth-the-costs-even-as-large-shares-also-see-downsides/">study by Pew Research</a>, Catholics are the religious group most vaccinated against COVID-19 in the United States.
Despite this, conscience has always been emphasised by the Church, meaning Domski was under no moral obligation to be vaccinated.
The jury awarded Domski $10 million in punitive damages, $1.7 million in lost wages, and $1 million in non-economic damages.
