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For men and women in the Bundeswehr, vaccination against the corona virus is now the rule and practically mandatory. Soldiers are now the first professional group to have to tolerate this protection.
Berlin – Soldiers have to put up with a corona vaccination. The Ministry of Defense has made this vaccination compulsory for the more than 180,000 men and women in the Bundeswehr.
The executive defense minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) decided and instructed this, as a spokesman for the ministry said on Wednesday.
Previously, an arbitration committee – a round of three representatives each from the Ministry of Defense and the participating bodies – had made a preliminary decision in a long dispute and recommended that protection be included in the list of vaccinations subject to tolerance.
In the Bundeswehr, the obligation to tolerate vaccination and preventive measures was introduced a few years ago. Soldiers who refuse to do so face disciplinary consequences. The Bundeswehr refers to the Soldiers Act and the operational readiness of the troops.
“The soldier only has to tolerate medical measures against his will if they 1. serve to prevent or combat communicable diseases or 2. serve to determine his ability to serve or employ”, says the Soldiers Act, Paragraph 17a. And: “If the soldier refuses a reasonable medical measure and his ability to work or work is impaired as a result, he may be denied care. A medical measure that is associated with a considerable risk to life or health is unreasonable. “
The principle of proportionality is to be observed, especially with a view to possible side effects of the vaccination. And if there are serious complications, there are pension claims. dpa
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