Advocate Aurora Health, an Illinois-based hospital system, violated federal law when it refused to accommodate a nurse’s religious beliefs and fired her for failing to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today. The EEOC’s lawsuit alleged that in 2021, Advocate Health implemented a policy mandating that all employees receive a COVID-19 vaccination unless they were granted an exemption because of their religious beliefs. A nurse requested a religious exemption in accordance with the policy, and although Advocate Health previously granted her a “lifetime” religious exemption from receiving the flu vaccine, it denied her request for an exemption from COVID-19 vaccination. When the employee, consistent with her religious beliefs, declined to receive the vaccination, Advocate Health terminated her, according to the suit.