Governor Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey issued the following statements in response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Doe v. Mills:
“Vaccinations are the best tool we have to protect the lives and livelihoods of Maine people and to turn back this pandemic. Health care workers perform a critical role in keeping Maine people healthy, and it is imperative that hospitals and other settings take every precaution to protect their workers and patients against this deadly virus, especially in view of the more infectious Delta variant. Anyone who is placed in the care of these facilities has the right to expect – as do their families – that they will receive high-quality, safe care from fully vaccinated staff,” said Governor Janet Mills. “This rule protects health care workers, their patients, and the stability of our health care system in the face of this dangerous virus. Just as vaccination defeated smallpox and vaccination defeated polio, vaccination is the way to defeat COVID-19.”
“The Supreme Court’s action today means that the First Circuit’s decision, which upheld Maine’s rule requiring certain healthcare facilities to ensure their employees are vaccinated against COVID-19, will stand,” said Attorney General Aaron M. Frey. “The First Circuit held that this reasonable requirement does not violate the First Amendment’s Free Exercise clause. The requirement is constitutional. Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is the best way to prevent further burdens on Maine’s healthcare system, and the best way to protect ourselves, our neighbors, and our loved ones. I urge all eligible Mainers who have not yet received their COVID-19 vaccine to do so as soon as possible.”