LANCASTER, Pa. (WJZ)—A woman who lives just over the border in Pennsylvania is drawing national attention for her beliefs.
As Mike Schuh reports, when the pregnant nurse refused a flu shot, she was fired.
For the past five years, 29-year-old Dreonna Breton came to her nursing job at Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster, Pa.
This fall, the hospital required her to get a flu shot.
“It’s frustrating to me to be forced to do something that you’re not comfortable with,” Breton said.
The mother of a 19-month-old son, she has another baby on the way.
But, in the past year, she’s had two miscarriages and is now worried about complications.
“The known risks are low. I understand that. But there are still risks,” Breton said.
She offered to wear a mask, but refused the vaccine, and that wasn’t good enough.
She was told, “You didn’t provide a medical reason. Therefore, we are terminating you unless you get the flu vaccine,” Breton said.
Her views are counter to those of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which recommends the vaccine for pregnant women, saying: “Flu vaccination is an essential element of prenatal care. No study to date has shown an adverse consequence of flu vaccine in pregnant women or their offspring.”
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I pay no attention to anything the government or media recommends. I know a few people who get these shots and it seams to me that they’re getting stupider.
I feel for this woman. I’ve gotten one flu shot and got violently ill after receiving it. I don’t blame her at all for worrying about her baby.
I’m not telling anyone whether or not they should get flu shots, (They don’t work for me, they cause me to get the flu and make it 1000 times worse)but what they did to her was complete bullshit. I wouldn’t take the chance on any drug that could cause another miscarriage, I don’t care how much of a “low risk” they claim it is. Low risk still implies a risk. Pass.
The one time I got a flu shot I got the worst flu of my life – turned into bronchitis and pneumonia.
Irish: I had the same experience about 5 years ago. I got a flu shot and I was laid up for about 8 days.
Never again.
PS I remember your avatar. Queen Maive of Ireland.
Happy New Year to you. You should show up more ofter. Slainte.
Yeah, I’ve heard from people I know who got the flu shot and got ill right after. Many still got the flu anyway. No way I’ll ever get a flu shot.
Thalydomide was OK at one time also.
Not to be argumentative, but I DO get the yearly flu shots and the last time I had the flu was over 19 years ago, (just saying). That being said, I do not believe anyone should be forced into submitting to the inoculation against their will, especially an expecting mother! I agree with Mary Jane, “this is complete bull$hit!”
I’ve had one flu shot in my life. I was 20. I suffered the worst flu of my life that year.
What we have to remember is, 1) the flu shot is a “guess” for what flu is going to be prevalent that particular year and 2) each time you get the flu, you build up a natural immunity to that flu. I prefer to build up a natural immunity.
As for this mother, I applaud her. A job is not worth sacrificing a baby’s life.
Sorry, but she knew the requirements for the job. And you folks above who say you got the flu from the shot, no, you didn’t. It’s impossible to get the flu from the dead virus in the injection. The fact that you got sick was a coincidence. Or perhaps you did get the flu, but not from the shot (they only put three or four strains in there and sometimes they guess wrong).
It’s a difficult situation all the way around. If you completely side with the nurse, you are getting close to being a prog who thinks the individual gets to do whatever they want, who cares about the consequences to anyone else? The hospital can sued if she isn’t vaccinated and a patient she saw gets that strain – never mind if she didn’t get get ill, she could be an asymptomatic vector.
The employer can’t force her to get vaccinated, but they have to protect themselves. So they can suspend her or fire her. If they suspend her, then someone else gets suspended for non-adherence to a different policy, and they take time off without pay until they comply and come back to work. Next thing you know you have all these people on suspension. Some people who got fired for non-adherence will sue to say they should have been suspended.
The hospital has an unfortunate choice. Risk getting sued for wrongful death, or risk getting sued for unfair termination. If they knowingly kept her on, while unvaccinated it’s an intentional tort and triple damages. If they fire her, well she’s white and can’t play the race card.
Lawyers created this conundrum. Simple solution would be to let her take a voluntary leave, but then some other knucklehead would abuse that privilege.
WTH? Its only a fetus. I mean, geeez, whats the big effin deal?
sarc Off.
@Glen Harness — I, for one, did not say I got the flu from the shot.
All I said was that the worst flu I’ve ever had was the year I got the shot, meaning the shot was worthless.
I still believe I got the flu from the shot. Too many coincidences Glen.
I took a flu shot in a hospital and unknown to me was the fellow who worked for my wife was there at the same time. Interestingly, after a few weeks I developed shingles… and the fellow who got his shot from the same batch developed shingles as well. I wouldn’t get a flu shot again even if it would purportedly save my life.
Now, Nurses are in high demand, this gal will find another job. And good for her that she cared enough for her baby to tell the powers that be to go to hell. We need more like her if the Country is to survive.
“they only put three or four strains in there and sometimes they guess wrong”
If “sometimes they guess wrong”, how do you know all the virus in the vaccination are inert?