Man who didn't take 'satanic' Covid vaccine loses case against Louth gym

A man who did not take the Covid-19 vaccine as he claimed it was made from aborted foetuses that were dissected in a satanic manner has lost a discrimination case against a Louth gym.

Paul Taaffe was refused entry to the DkIT Sport Gym on December 16 2021 when he failed to show his Covid-19 vaccination certificate. At the time, gyms were legally obliged to only allow people with vaccine certs to enter and use the facilities.

Mr. Taaffe submitted a complaint to the Workplace Relation Commission (WRC) under the Equal Status Acts on February 15, 2022 alleging that the gym had discriminated against him by reason of his religion.

At the remote adjudication hearing held last month, Mr. Taaffe gave evidence on his own behalf. He claimed he was discriminated against by reason of his medical status as well as his religion.

He said he was a Catholic though he doesn’t take guidance from the church. Mr. Taaffe explained that he believes vaccines are made from aborted foetuses which are dissected in a satanic manner and does not want to put something like that in his body.

He said that on the day in question he was informed that he could not train at the gym unless he showed a Covid-19 vaccine cert. He asked to speak to the manager, who also said he couldn’t let him into the gym without the cert, and ended the conversation.

Mr. Taaffe told the WRC he felt discriminated against. He accepted that the gym may have been following Government policy, but said it was his view that legislation was unconstitutional and that the DkIT Sport Gym should have refused to follow it or challenged it in the courts.

DkIT Sport Gym, was represented at the hearing by Catherine Needham BL. Derek Anderson, DkIT’s Operations & Finance Director, Gerard Morgan, Group Health and Safety Manager, and Kyle McGee, Gym Manager, all gave evidence.

The gym argued that it followed public health guidance at the time. Mr McGee said that he dealt with Mr. Taaffe in an entirely polite and respectful manner. He said he properly enforced the policy the gym was required to implement.

In deciding the case, WRC Adjudication Officer David James Murphy found that Mr Taaffe had not been discriminated against by reason of his medical status or religion.

Choosing whether or not to get vaccinated does not fall under Sections 3 and 4 of the Equal Status Acts, which outlaw discrimination against people on certain grounds, Mr. Murphy found.

Mr. Murphy also said that Mr Taaffe did not draw his attention to any prohibition against Catholics attending the gym that day.
“He instead advanced a case, totally without any medical evidence, that the Covid-19 vaccine was made from dissected foetuses and was satanic,” Mr Murphy said.

“As a result of this belief the Complainant felt taking the vaccine would [be] incompatible with his religion.” Mr. Murphy said that while he believed that feeling was “genuinely held” that did not make it factual or inherently related to Mr Taaffe’s Catholicism. “As such I do not see how it can form the basis for a case of religious discrimination,” he said.