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Op-Ed: Why I filed a lawsuit against my
university’s COVID vaccine mandate
[The Center Square] Peter Cordi | The
College Fix
(The College Fix) – As a
conservative Republican student at Rutgers University, I have defended
American exceptionalism, Donald Trump, Israel’s right to exist, and many
other hot-button issues without too much blowback from peers. |
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 But never in my four years at Rutgers have I received such
vicious, vulgar and venomous personal attacks than I have since taking a stand
against my school’s vaccine mandate.
In emails and direct messages on social media over the last week, I’ve been
called a monster, a fake Christian, a murderer, stupid, irresponsible, a liar,
and better off dead. The messages are peppered with profanity, attack my
religion and character, and wish me harm.
I believe anyone who wants to be vaccinated should do so, but
those who do not want to be vaccinated should be free to abstain without being
denied their education and without being discriminated against and segregated
based on their vaccination status.
That is why I am one of 18 student plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against Rutgers
on Aug. 16 working to strike down its COVID vaccine mandate.
As a healthy, 22-year-old male with no underlying health conditions, I have
chosen not to be vaccinated, and believe the FDA warning of the myocarditis risk
as well as potential long-term health risks associated with spike protein
accumulation in the bone marrow outweighs the potential benefit of the shot in
my case.
As a Christian, I believe my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and I should
not ingest unnecessary and potentially hazardous pharmacopeia, especially those
manufactured and tested using aborted fetal cell lines. I even avoid Advil
unless it’s an emergency.
I continue to await a decision on my religious exemption request. I am trying to
finish up a few credits to complete my degree, but this mandate holds me
hostage.
 In addition to my personal situation, our lawsuit argues the vaccine mandate is
unconstitutional and discriminatory as it violates our rights under the 14th
Amendment, which defends against onerous dictates that violate Americans’ right
to liberty and personal freedom.
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As for Rutgers specifically, as plaintiffs we also
believe it has a vested interest in requiring the shot, that the
mandate is not simply an altruistic goal. Rutgers has numerous
partnerships and financial ties to Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson &
Johnson.
We allege Rutgers “benefits financially from
working with COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers” and “stands to gain
from potential intellectual property rights, patents and/or the
eventual approval, licensing and marketing of these experimental
vaccines.”
This financial conflict of interest is one of many points raised in
our 104-page legal complaint against the school that my attorney,
Julio Gomez, filed on behalf of myself and 17 other student
plaintiffs as well as the nonprofit organization Children’s Health
Defense.
When the lawsuit was filed, a number of outlets began reporting on
it and I began making media appearances to share my personal
experience.
This sparked the mountain of hate mail I received, but eventually as
I began to speak to some audiences that were sympathetic to the
cause, it sparked some support as well.
One point that especially unnerves me about the mandate is that the
vaccine manufacturers cannot be held liable for any injuries or
deaths caused by their drug.
So if Rutgers is mandating us to get the vaccine and something
happens to one of the students as a result, who is responsible here?
We already know from the VAERS data there has reportedly been some
600,000 adverse effects and 13,000 deaths, so it seems like a
question that deserves an answer.
But asking such questions is considered a thought crime.
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