Former 'General Hospital' star Ingo Rademacher is suing ABC over the network's vaccine mandate.
The 50-year-old actor had played Jasper 'Jax' Jacks on the medical drama for 25 years before being fired last month after refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and he's now launched legal action, arguing the policy is unconstitutional and amounts to religious discrimination.
Ingo had a bid to be exempted from the mandate on religious grounds rejected by the network, and argued ABC were require to honour his request as questioning his beliefs was akin to religious discrimination.
He wrote in an email to Disney's HR department in October: "I am entitled to a religious exemption against mandatory vaccination for COVID-19 on the basis of my deeply and sincerely held moral belief that my body is endowed by my creator with natural processes to protect me and that its natural integrity cannot ethically be violated by the administration of artificially created copies of genetic material, foreign to nature and experimental."
He also argued the vaccine mandate violated his right to privacy.
His lawsuit stated: "This should not be a political issue/ There is no need for everybody to get the COVID-19 shot, even if the president demands it."
Ingo isn't the only 'General Hospital' cast member to be axed over the vaccine mandate as Steve Burton confirmed last month he had been let go from his role as Jason Morgan - who he has played on-and-off since 1991 - after having his exemption request denied.
He said in a video shared to Instagram: "I know there's been a lot of rumours and speculation about me and 'General Hospital', and I wanted you to hear it from me personally. Unfortunately, 'General Hospital' has let me go because of the vaccine mandate.
"I did apply for my medical and religious exemptions, and both of those were denied. Which, you know, hurts. But this is also about personal freedom for me. I don't think anyone should lose their livelihood over this."
The vaccine mandate, which requires all present on set to be vaccinated, cast and crew included, went into effect on the show on 1 November.
