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A Michigan hospital refused to perform a critical ear surgery for a deaf infant unless his parents agreed to a pneumococcal vaccine. ICAN asked its attorneys to step in, and they successfully secured a religious exemption for this surgery, protecting the parents’ religious beliefs.
After an infant boy failed all his newborn hearing screenings and at 5 weeks old was diagnosed with profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears, his parents decided to move forward with cochlear implant surgery. Fortunately, specialists said that as long as the child received the surgery before his first birthday, he was likely to catch up in his speech and language development.
After meeting with countless specialists, the boy’s parents chose Children’s Hospital of Michigan to perform the surgery. They were initially told that, while the pneumococcal vaccine was recommended prior to the surgery, the parents could decline it. However, just months before the surgery, the hospital changed course and refused to proceed with the surgery until the child was vaccinated, unless they had a sufficient medical reason to decline.
Because of supporters like you, ICAN’s attorneys were able to step in and send a letter demanding that the hospital offer a religious exemption. They also explained that, by not accommodating the parents, the hospital was violating not only the law but also its own accreditation and non-discrimination standards. The letter also provided necessary context, pointing out that the boy’s risk of contracting bacterial meningitis, even with cochlear implants, was extremely rare (0.07%).
ICAN is thrilled to announce that the hospital has approved the parents’ request and agreed to perform the surgery without vaccination. We wish the best of luck to this child and his parents for a successful surgery, and we thank them for helping us set precedent for others at this hospital!
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