Objection To Immunization Was Not A Religious Belief

In Potter v. St. Joseph's Medical Center, (MN App., , Dec. 24, 2018), a Minnesota appellate court held, in a case involving the denial of unemployment benefits, that a claimant's refusal to obtain an influenza shot "was driven by a personal, secular belief," not a religious one.  The court said in part:

Potter's assertion that her faith requires that she not inject herself with impurities is undercut by her own rationale. Potter stated that if the flu shot was scientifically proven to be effective she "probably would" receive it. It follows that Potter is unwilling to inject what she considers scientifically ineffective impurities but is willing to inject what she considers scientifically effective impurities. This supports the respondents' assertion that Potter's beliefs are not sincerely held religious beliefs, but, rather, "her objection was based on her medical and scientific views, cloaked under the guise of religion."