Tyrannical mandates originating with the federal government have become commonplace during the Biden administration. And anyone who hasn’t submitted to these mandates has been lambasted for their own private medical decisions.
That’s exactly what Kim St. Onge said happened to her.
In a Facebook post Sunday, St. Onge, a television reporter for KMOV-TV in St. Louis, said she requested a religious exemption from a vaccine mandate instituted by the parent company of the station, Meredith Corporation. She said her exemption was granted only after she obtained a letter from her pastor.
Yet after the approval, she said Meredith told her she must follow three invasive policies if she wanted to keep her job.
First, she said the company required her to wear an N95 mask at all times. Next, St. Onge would have to subject herself to COVID-19 testing twice a week and provide a time-stamped picture to prove she had tested negative.
Last but not least, St. Onge alleged the company would require her to attend any onsite meetings virtually while sitting in a different room on the premises. She said this final illogical requirement pushed her over the edge.
“#3 is where I really drew the line and proves this is not just about health,” St. Onge wrote. “So, I’m testing TWICE weekly and wearing an N95 mask, but can’t sit in the same room as my vaccinated colleagues who we now know can not only get Covid, but still pass it to others?”
St. Onge said she told her union representative she would not submit to these restrictions, at which point she was let go. She added that she had turned down “a non-disclosure agreement worth several thousand dollars” because she felt her story was important to tell.
“Some of you will staunchly disagree with my decision,” she wrote. “I understand some of you may even feel personally offended by my choice.
“But, this is too big to stay quiet. Our freedoms are being stripped away… freedoms our parents, grandparents, and so many others fought for.”
Even amid this discrimination against her, St. Onge said her faith in the Lord kept her going. She told CBN News she trusts the next step for her and her career is in God’s hands.
“I have Scripture that I would repeat in my head when I was feeling discouraged,” she said. “When it’s all said is done… I only answer to God. Our Savior already went through all this and he’s got it.”
In particular, St. Onge said Joshua 1:9 had given her strength throughout her struggle “countless times.”
“‘Be strong and courageous. Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you where you go,'” she recited to CBN.
St. Onge is far from the only person to experience a similar hardship. As she pointed out, even people who were considered heroes toward the beginning of the pandemic are now being fired because of their refusal to comply with vaccine mandates.
“I refuse to stand for a company dictating medical decisions for its employees, especially when it comes to an experimental vaccine,” she wrote on Facebook. “I want my future kids to know their mom stood up for her beliefs, her morals, even though it cost their mom her job.”
Many people were quick to point out that St. Onge chose not to comply with the restrictions, which means she “opted out” instead of being fired.
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“Your employer instituted a workplace policy,” one commenter wrote. “You requested a religious accommodation. They provided the legally required reasonable accommodation that would have still allowed you to do your job and fulfill your religious obligation. You didn’t agree to it. Bottom line. They did nothing illegal. You are the one who opted out.”
While it is technically true that St. Onge chose not to comply with the restrictions her company offered, those restrictions were far from “reasonable.”
Requiring an N95 mask and twice-a-week testing is arguably unnecessary, but St. Onge may have been able to live with those restrictions. However, requiring someone to sit in a different room because of their vaccination status is nonsensical, and even more so if that person is wearing a mask and ensuring their negative test results.
This faulty logic is increasingly being used by leftists attempting to justify firing people for making personal medical choices. While giving someone alternatives to the vaccine is a step in the right direction, it is not a viable solution when those restrictions are nearly as reprehensible as the vaccine mandate itself.
Americans should be able to make their own medical decisions, and they shouldn’t face more tyrannical rules for doing so. Despite the left’s attempt to diffuse responsibility, St. Onge and those like her are the victims of mistreatment, not the perpetrators.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
