Pregnant Woman Fired Because She Refused Flu Shot

A young woman, who is also pregnant, was recently fired from her job because she refused to get a flu shot. This is causing lots of talk because flu vaccines have been linked to autism. Should her employer have been able to fire her because she said no?

There are a few problems with this situation. First, she was acting as a nurse. This means she was in close contact with people who are more likely to be sick than the average person. So, one could understand the reasoning behind wanting nurses and other hospital workers to get the flu shot.

The problem with this is that there are many in the health community that believe vaccinations can cause illness in children. The leading one is Autism. But there are other health concerns. So it is perfectly reasonable that this woman was hesitant to get the shot.

According to the story the nurse offered the hospital an alternative. She said she would wear a mask. That was not good enough for the hospital. So she was fired.

Here is a link to the news story.

http://www.wdio.com/article/stories/S3262453.shtml?cat=11803

There is sure to be follow up in the media because people on both sides will have a strong opinion.