Article:Pregnant nurse: I was fired for refusing flu vaccine
wilburbud
member
(CNN) -- A pregnant nurse tells CNN she was fired from her job after she refused to get a flu shot for fear of miscarrying.
"I'm a healthy person. I take care of my body. For me, the potential risk was not worth it," Dreonna Breton told CNN Sunday. "I'm not gonna be the one percent of people that has a problem."
Breton, 29, worked as a nurse at Horizons Healthcare Services in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, when she was told that all employees were required to get a flu shot. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention advises that all health care professionals get vaccinated annually.
She told her employers that she would not get the vaccine after she explained that there were very limited studies of the effects on pregnant women.
Breton came to the decision with her family after three miscarriages.
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The mother of one submitted letters from her obstetrician and primary care doctor supporting her decision, but she was told that she would be fired on December 17 if she did not receive the vaccine before then.
Horizons Healthcare Services spokesman Alan Peterson told CNN affiliate WPVI that it's unconscionable for a health care worker not to be immunized and that pregnant women are more susceptible to the flu.
The CDC website states that getting a flu shot while pregnant is the best protection for pregnant women and their babies.
"I know that the CDC says to get it, and that's fine, but it was our choice to avoid the flu vaccine and the unknowns that come with that," Breton said.
Breton offered to wear a face mask at work, a practice that is used if employees are exempted for religious reasons. The hospital did not approve, according to Breton.
Breton has no interest in taking legal action, she said. She stated she only wants the company to reevaluate their policy on vaccines for pregnant employees and to continue working as a nurse.
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Re: Article:Pregnant nurse: I was fired for refusing flu vaccine
ETA: And I would be willing to be money that the real reason she isn't suing them is because she was advised that she would lose.
All of this. She made a decision for herself that could have a negative effect on others, knowing full well the consequences of her decision. Sucks but it is what it is.
As far as I'm concerned, a religious observance is a personal decision just like this woman's decision not to vaccinate due to her pregnancy, and so they all should be subject to the same repercussions for not following workplace policy.
Maybe I should have saved that one for UO Thursday.
Although, @wilburbud I think I also remember hearing something about a small Haitian religion being exempt. But I think my mom said no one submitted that, this year.
Married: 9.22.12 - DD: 1.7.14 - EDD 2: 10.30.17 - J14 OG
partial molar pregnancy : bfp 6.28.10, d/c 8.17.10, 7 rounds methotrexate, cleared 7.1.11
alexander patrick : bfp 1.16.12, born 9.20.12 @ 39w1d, 7 lbs./11 oz./22 in.
scarlett irene elizabeth : bfp 5.24.13, born 2.3.14 @ 41w2d, 7 lbs./13 oz./19 in.
Married: 9.22.12 - DD: 1.7.14 - EDD 2: 10.30.17 - J14 OG
In terms of religious reasons, I feel like those are pretty easy to confirm as being legitimate reasons. It's easier for an employer to say, "Let's verify with this religious organization and find out what their stance is on this vaccine, and if there's any way we can work around it," versus verifying the legitimacy of every personal reason that someone might use.
For example, the daycare employee who got fired back in September over the abduction prank played on me with DS - when she was hired, she was told she had to have a flu shot, and she agreed. When it came time for her to actually get it, she suddenly had a laundry list of health problems that prevented her from being able to get the shot or the mist. Apparently, whenever she got the shot, she ended up in the hospital for at least 2 weeks with flu-like symptoms, and the mist would make her airway close-up as well as give her a horrible all-body rash.
How do you, as an employer, verify this? Patients have the right to privacy in regards to their medical records, and instead of asking them to provide documentation from their physician to back up claims like these, it's just easier to say, "This is our policy. If you don't get a flu shot, you're fired."
partial molar pregnancy : bfp 6.28.10, d/c 8.17.10, 7 rounds methotrexate, cleared 7.1.11
alexander patrick : bfp 1.16.12, born 9.20.12 @ 39w1d, 7 lbs./11 oz./22 in.
scarlett irene elizabeth : bfp 5.24.13, born 2.3.14 @ 41w2d, 7 lbs./13 oz./19 in.
I'm not saying they should make an exception for a personal reason - I think there should be no exceptions at all, including for religious reasons.
Sorry if that was unclear.