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Satisfied with the judgment of the judges in Karlsruhe: Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD)
Photo: Kay Nietfeld / dpa
The obligation to vaccinate nursing and healthcare staff is legal – this has been confirmed by the Federal Constitutional Court.
Several federal politicians regard the decision from Karlsruhe as confirmation of their corona course.
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach sees his position strengthened.
He expressly welcomes the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court, said the SPD politician.
"The state is obliged to protect vulnerable groups." He thanked all facilities that have implemented the facility-related vaccination requirement.
"They played a major role in the fact that there were no more deaths in the severe omicron wave," says Lauterbach.
The deputy chairwoman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Andrea Lindholz, said that the decision shows "the difficult considerations faced by the legislature, because the encroachment on the fundamental rights of those working in the health and care sector is serious".
Nevertheless, the constitutional complaint was “correctly rejected”.
With this decision, “people who are particularly in need of protection” could trust “that their protection against infection with the corona virus has the highest priority”.
The SPD member of the Bundestag, Dagmar Schmidt, argued similarly.
The facility-related vaccination requirement is an encroachment on fundamental rights, she admitted on Twitter.
"But the constitutional complaint was rejected because vaccination primarily serves to protect old, sick and disabled people."
Green health politician Janosch Dahmen also wrote on Twitter that the Federal Constitutional Court's ruling strengthens the protection of vulnerable people.
The chairmen of the AfD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, criticized the verdict.
"The approval of the nursing vaccination requirement by the Federal Constitutional Court is a heavy blow for the nursing and health staff, who have sacrificed themselves since the beginning of the pandemic," emphasized the duo.
"The partial vaccination that has now been declared legal remains an unacceptable attack on the fundamental right to physical integrity of the nursing staff concerned."
Court: Protection cradle "constitutionally heavier"
The highest German court had rejected a constitutional complaint against the institution-related vaccination requirement.
Although this interferes with physical integrity, this is constitutionally justified.
The legislator pursues the legitimate purpose of protecting vulnerable people from infection.
The judges in Karlsruhe argued that the protection of these vulnerable groups weighs constitutionally more heavily than the impairment of the fundamental rights of nursing and healthcare staff.
Already in February, the judges in Karlsruhe refused to suspend the regulations for the time being.
The facility-related compulsory vaccination could thus be implemented in mid-March.
dam/dpa
