Indianapolis, Indiana – More than 200 gathered to protest against IU Health Covid-19 vaccination mandate in front of the IU Health’s Fairbanks Hall on Saturday.
One of the protestors was Derek S. and he had to say something about the vaccination mandate:
“I’ve been mad, well since June 1 when the news came out,” said Sauls, who is a facilities worker at Riley Hospital for Children.
“It’s a job I’ve loved for 12 years and I’m really not happy about the choice to leave it,” said Sauls.
Protestors are furious about the vaccination mandate. They say they are somehow cornered and asked to get the shot or they will get fired. Some holding signs during the protest that read ‘Forced Consent is not Consent’ and ‘Let me call my own shots.’
“Everyone should have their own ability to judge that and decide if it’s right for them and when you have your job held up against you, it makes it really tough to make that decision,” said Jennifer Fluhr, an R.N. at IU Health’s Riley Hospital for Children.
Majority of the protestors are IU Health workers. However, there were some protestors just to show off some support to those touched by the mandate.
Some people loudly spoke about their personal reasons why they can’t or don’t want to take the shot. Others said they don’t need a ‘special’ reason, saying that it’s a matter of choice whether they will take the vaccine or not.
“I’m here to make my voice among these hundreds of people here heard by the management who would try to push this on employees under threat pressure of losing our jobs,” said Sauls.
“We’re all patients too and we give our patients the right to autonomy, we give our patients the right to refuse and we should have that as well,” said Fluhr.
