Please, Everyone, a Moment of Silence for These Antivax Cops Who Ragequit Their Jobs

According to the Washington Post, LaMay has pushed debunked theories about coronavirus vaccines, such as: “The problem is, we don’t know what this is going to do. Is it sterilizing your daughters? Is it sterilizing your sons? We don’t know.” (We do know this is complete bullshit, though anti-vaxxers are convinced otherwise.) LaMay also says that he and his family “put it up to prayer” as to whether he should get vaccinated and took other job offers he received as God’s answer.

“This is where we’re supposed to be; this is what we’re supposed to do,” LaMay told the Post. “God will provide—you put it in his hands, and he’ll take care of you. That’s basically what he’s been showing.”

In a statement to the Post, Loftis said the troopers were “uniquely dedicated to their profession, so a separation of employment is very emotional and might lead a person to express their frustrations in a less than private or diplomatic manner,” but “we must all remember, covid has hurt everyone in our state and indeed in our country and world.”

Anti-vaxxers and conservatives have vehemently opposed coronavirus vaccine requirements like that in the state of Washington or a forthcoming federal employer mandate from President Joe Biden’s administration that will require large employers and federal contractors to have their employees certify they are vaccinated or take coronavirus tests once a week. A Pew Research Center poll released in September found a clear partisan breakdown on vaccination rates, with 86% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents saying they had received at least one dose of a vaccine by mid-August as opposed to around 60% of Republicans and sympathizers.

Republicans have argued that Biden’s mandate will punish workers and result in large numbers of terminations, but most workers are expected to have received their shots by the time the mandate kicks in. University of Florida researchers wrote for the Conversation late last month that although up to 16% of poll respondents said if “vaccines were required” by their employer, but anecdotal data at companies that have implemented requirements showed that only a relative handful of workers actually follow through. Many workers may also simply be allowed by their employers to opt for weekly tests.

University of Michigan public health professor Ken Resnicow was one of the authors of a study that showed a correlation between belief in conspiracy theories and/or the apocalypse and a person’s willingness to take action against the virus, such as by social distancing, wearing a mask, or getting vaccinated. He told NPR, “Somehow it has morphed into not getting the vaccine as a way to defend their freedom and resist this ‘tyranny. There’s not many countries that have this dynamic.”

“There’s a sensitive issue—that it’s conflated with religion and evangelicalism, and people are scared to touch that third rail,” Resnicow added. “And I think we have to confront how religion and science are now at loggerheads, and that wasn’t always the case.”

The officers and other WSP employees “leave with our appreciation and respect as well as our high hopes for safe and successful futures,” Loftis told Gizmodo. “Covid is definitely a killer and we hope that the mandate is effective in stopping the spread of the disease as the cost of the effort has certainly been very high.”