The Make-A-Wish Foundation has announced that it will resume granting wishes that involve travel and large gatherings for eligible children and family members despite their vaccination status.
The CEO and president of Make-a-Wish America, Richard Davis, initially announced in a video last week that wishes that involve air travel and large gatherings would resume on Sept. 15 for children and families who had been vaccinated against COVID-19.
"We've approached this responsibility with a focus and diligence for your family's health and safety," Davis said in the video.
This is literally a new low for humanity. Terminally ill children will not be granted a wish.. from the make a wish foundation… unless.. you guessed it.. they’re fully vaccinated. pic.twitter.com/bjx1XMvLu6
— Pelham_3 (@Pelham_3) June 24, 2021
But after Davis' announcement, critics questioned the foundation for requiring the wish kids and their families to be vaccinated. Children and families would not have needed to provide proof of vaccination, but adults would have had to sign a letter of understanding certifying their vaccination.
One user said online, "Will never donate to them! These children often have weak immune systems, so why would anyone risk giving them a vaccine that hasn't gone through extensive research."
Another tweeted: "The Make a Wish Foundation is going to discriminate against unvaccinated terminal kids. What a disgrace of a world we live in! Our children deserve better!!"
On Sunday, however, the foundation released another statement asserting Make-A-Wish "will not require anyone to get vaccinated to receive a wish" and "will continue to grant wishes for all eligible children."
According to CBN News, a Make-A-Wish representative told the outlet in an email on Monday that the organization "has not, does not and will not deny wishes to children who are not vaccinated. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Make-A-Wish has safely granted over 6,500 wishes to children and families regardless of vaccination status."
The representative added, "Make-A-Wish will continue to grant wishes to children who are not vaccinated. We respect everyone's freedom of choice. We understand that there are many families whose children aren't eligible for the vaccine yet, and we also know that there are families who are choosing not to get the vaccine. This will only serve to expand the number of wishes Make-A-Wish is able to grant."
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Morsa Images
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.