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The hands of La. Army National Guard Spc. Ashlynn Cleveland load a dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine into a syringe, during a mass vaccination event held at LSU's Tiger Stadium, in a partnership with the La. Dept. of Health, the La. National Guard and LSU, Sunday, March 14, 2021. It was expected that 800 doses would be administered by appointment, said La. National Guard Lt. Col. Dorrie Staal, Deputy Commander of Task Force Vaccine.

LSU's School of Dentistry backtracked on mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for students, faculty and staff who interact with patients after some argued the requirement violated federal law and compromised religious liberties.

Dentistry Dean Robert Laughlin wrote in an email last week that those "involved in direct patient care will be required to show proof of having received full vaccination for COVID-19," effective Monday, March 22. 

But after an outcry among students, Laughlin amended the policy to allow those who forgo a vaccination to instead undergo mandatory, weekly coronavirus testing, with the added requirement that they wear an N-95 mask while in clinic.  

"It is not my intention to force any individual to receive a vaccine they wish not to receive," Laughlin wrote in a follow-up email. "The School of Dentistry will comply with all [Americans with Disabilities Act] and religious objections according to the law."

The sudden change in policy comes as health care providers across the country weigh tactics to convince both the public — and their own workforce — of the importance of getting the life-saving jab.

So far, at Louisiana's hospitals, that hasn't included mandates, though vaccine uptake remains a challenge. At Ochsner Health System, which has about 32,000 employees statewide, vaccine acceptance is at 56.3%, according to a hospital representative.

The chancellor of LSU's Health Sciences Center at New Orleans, Larry Hollier, recently dangled the possibility of in-person pre-commencement ceremonies but only for students who choose to get vaccinated. Otherwise, they can attend virtually. 

"If you, too, would like to enjoy these celebrations with your classes, please consider getting vaccinated if you haven't already," Hollier wrote in an email last week. 

The about face at LSU's School of Dentistry came shortly after the Liberty Counsel, an evangelical Christian nonprofit based in Florida, sent a letter to Laughlin calling the mandate a "violation of fundamental individual, economic and religious liberties." It noted that "some people hold sincere religious beliefs against taking vaccines in general" or taking vaccines derived from stem cell lines obtained during abortions. 

More than a dozen state lawmakers also sent a letter to Laughlin criticizing the mandate, and in response to their concerns, Laughlin sent along the revised policy and said that he spoke at length with Attorney General Jeff Landry over the issue. 

“We thought it was a complete overreach of a state university to mandate a vaccine,” said Rep. Kathy Edmonston, R-Gonzales, in an interview, who added that some students she spoke with viewed the testing mandate as cumbersome as well. 

Religious objections to the vaccine entered the spotlight earlier this month after Catholic leaders locally split on the morality of taking the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The Archdiocese of New Orleans argued that cells used to develop, test and produce the one-dose shot were derived from abortions performed in the 1970s and 1980s and therefore the jab was "morally compromised." Leaders in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, meanwhile, told their flocks that the vaccine was a valid choice if no other options were available. 

Legally, businesses and schools can require vaccinations, though there are carve-outs offering certain protections. The Americans with Disabilities Act says employers can’t discriminate against people with disabilities. That might include someone with a medical condition who can’t receive the vaccine, or someone with an allergy that prohibits it. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 also allows exemptions based on religion.

The Liberty Counsel also pointed out that under federal law, individuals must be given the "option to accept or refuse" products approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration through Emergency Use Authorization — like the three available coronavirus vaccines. That point was reiterated in August by Dr. Amanda Cohn, who sits on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

"I just wanted to add that, just wanted to remind everybody, that under an Emergency Use Authorization, an EUA, vaccines are not allowed to be mandatory. So, early in this vaccination phase, individuals will have to be consented and they won't be able to be mandated,” Cohn said. 

Dr. Susan Hassig, an associate professor of epidemiology at Tulane University, said that vaccines authorized for emergency use typically aren’t mandated until they receive full approval given how many questions remain about their long-term effects. 

“You generally would not mandate something that is not fully vetted and approved in the most complete sense by the FDA,” Hassig said. “We don’t know how long it's going to protect us for, or when we might need a booster shot.”

Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate.com and follow him on Twitter @blakepater