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Another Win for Religious Rights in San Francisco
Thanks to AVFCA’s Lawyers!
Support AVFCA TODAY to make more Wins Happen!

This week, A Voice for Choice Advocacy is thrilled to share another victory for religious rights! Similar to Olina’s story from last week, this time Stacy turned to AVFCA for assistance in exercising her religious beliefs against vaccination. Stacy was excited to join a new educational opportunity at Bay Area Medical Academy (BAMA). She had been accepted into BAMA’s free program for low-income San Francisco residents, designed to train individuals as Medical Assistants.

As part of her admissions process, Stacy submitted a religious exemption outlining her sincerely held beliefs against the COVID-19 vaccine and booster. However, she was told she could not attend classes because her exemption did not meet BAMA's requirements. Specifically, BAMA demanded a letter on official letterhead from the leader of her religious organization, stating the objection on her behalf, the reason for the objection, and the specific doctrine supporting it. The letter also needed to include the organization's address, phone number, and 501(c)(3) identification number.

Drawing from our extensive experience with religious exemptions, AVFCA immediately recognized that BAMA's requirements were unconstitutional. The right to decline specific medical treatments, including vaccines, is protected under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. The First Amendment only requires an individual to hold sincere personal convictions—it does not mandate membership in an organized religion. AVFCA engaged our legal partners at Actium LLP to advocate for Stacy’s rights. Our legal team aimed to resolve the issue quickly by demonstrating to BAMA that their policy violated Stacy's constitutional protections.

AVFCA is excited to share that BAMA has completely reversed its position, allowing Stacy's self-written religious exemption to stand and for her begin their Medical Assistant program immediately. This victory highlights the importance of ensuring organizations understand and respect religious rights, including what can and cannot be demanded as proof of belief. If you or someone you know faces a similar challenge, don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re here to support you.

Thank you for helping us make victories like this possible! AVFCA is completely funded by donations made by people like you. Your donations enable us to keep standing up for individuals facing similar challenges. Over the last 9 years A Voice for Choice Advocacy, and our sister organization, A Voice for Choice, have been sustained only by grassroots donations, as well as my own significant donations. We are so thankful to everyone who has generously donated. However, AVFCA always needs your help to make our efforts sustainable. If you appreciate the work we do, AVFCA asks you to donate as generously as you can - no amount is too little or too great! If you are not already, please consider becoming a monthly donor:



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If you don’t want to use Stripe, here are some other ways to donate:

Send Check to: A Voice for Choice Advocacy/A Voice for Choice, 530 Showers Drive #7404, Mountain View CA 94040
Send Venmo to: @avoiceforchoice (Note: you have to search under “Business” to find us)
Send PayPal to: AVFCA – [email protected] or AVFC – [email protected]
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Thank you in advance for your generosity. Together we can make change happen!

C
Christina Hildebrand
President/Founder
A Voice for Choice Advocacy, Inc.
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www.avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org [www.avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org]
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A Voice for Choice Advocacy
530 Showers Drive, #7404
Mountain View, CA 94040
United States