Isabella Wren '22
On Oct. 18, 2021, Allison Williams, as well as fellow ESPN workers, spoke out that they will not continue their work with the company because of the vaccine. The deadline to be fully vaccinated for ESPN was the following Friday Oct. 22. "I have been denied my request for accommodation by ESPN and the Walt Disney Company, and effective next week, I will be separated from the company," she said in a video posted to Instagram on Friday. (NPR) Her reasoning for not taking the vaccine in early September was that she and her husband,Couts, were trying to conceive their second child. There is a rumor going around for women trying to conceive after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. There have been statements that it may cause infertility problems or miscarriages even though there is no set evidence. Still, many women are still cautious since the vaccine is still considered “new.” Even though she has stated that her second child was the reason for not taking the vaccine, some are speculating it is her political/ moral beliefs as well which is seen as controversial. “I am also so morally and ethically not aligned with this, and I’ve had to really dig deep and analyze my values and my morals, and ultimately I have to put them first,” Williams said in her Instagram video. (CNBC) Senior Sophia Lopez shared her opinion about the issue: “If there is no medical evidence that her pregnancy will be jeopardized, then she shouldn't use that as her reasoning. There are numerous reports of the vaccine being safe for pregnant women, so I don’t think it is worth losing her job over a vaccine.” Williams has not spoken out about getting the vaccine in the future nor returning back to ESPN. Hopefully after she has her child and more information about the vaccine is discovered, we may see Williams back on the sidelines for future football and basketball games.
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