ESPN reporter Allison Williams announced she would rather leave her job than receive a COVID vaccine
Posted on by Randy Slovacek

ESPN’s Allison Williams Quits Over Vaccine Mandate Citing Pregnancy Concerns

ESPN reporter Allison Williams has been trending all day on Twitter after she posted a video message to her social media announcing she will be parting ways with the sports network due to her decision to not receive a COVID vaccination.

In the video, Williams says she feels getting the shot is not in her “best interest” as she and her husband are trying to have a second child.

But it’s worth noting that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people 12 and over get vaccinated including those who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant.

Also from the CDC: “There is currently no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems in women or men.”

More from the Washington Post:

“I’ve had to really dig deep and analyze my values and my morals — ultimately I need to put them first,” Williams, who joined ESPN in 2011, said in a video posted to her Instagram account on Friday.

In the five-minute clip, Williams fought back tears as she said ESPN and Disney, its parent company, had denied her a “request for accommodation.”

Williams said she understood the company’s policy but added she was not willing to compromise her “morals” and “ethics” for her job.

I watched the full five minute video. I appreciate her calm delivery and points she raises.

But in mentioning “morals” and “ethics,” Williams seems to shift away from health/pregnancy concerns and moves her argument to not wanting to be told what to do – in the middle of a pandemic.

Also from the Washington Post:

In a tragic paradox, those who are pregnant are simultaneously more likely to experience severe illness and death from covid-19 and less likely to get the shot capable of preventing such suffering.

At least 171 have died, including 22 in August alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this week and in an urgent health advisory recommending vaccination.

Just 26 percent of pregnant Americans have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine while expecting, according to CDC data as of Oct. 2, a figure that places them among the nation’s most hesitant populations.

The medical establishment has fully endorsed receiving the coronavirus vaccine during pregnancy.

On August 11, the CDC formally recommended it after studies showed no increased risk of miscarriage. In July, leading obstetrics and gynecology organizations unequivocally backed vaccination.