FATHER’S FAITH NOTES: COVID-19 VACCINE DISCUSSION
Amidst the many complicated questions posed by the current pandemic is a new one: should Catholics, or any conscientious person, accept the vaccines against COVID-19? The question arises because of a little-known but tragically common part of vaccine production – the use of cell-lines derived from aborted children to develop, produce, or test vaccines.
The use for medical research of tissue or cells from an aborted child is gravely evil. It is contrary to the dignity of human life and to the mission of medicine, which is to save life, not destroy it. It should be clear, however, that no abortions were performed for the purposes of producing these vaccines: the cells in question are from a line of cells that has been replicated from the body of a child aborted in the Netherlands in 1972. That does not make the practice acceptable, nor diminish the evil done at that time; it does affect the question of whether receiving the vaccine is separable from the evil of abortion.
Recently, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) produced a detailed analysis of the question as it applies to the current group of three COVID-19 vaccines that have been approved for use. The document reiterates our opposition to any abortion-related practices in the development of vaccines. Sadly, none of the current vaccines completely reach that threshold. Two of the vaccines, those from Pfizer and Moderna, used abortion-derived cells in the testing phase only, but not in the production or development phase. The USCCB, therefore, along with the Vatican, describes their connection to moral evil as “remote” and the good derived as great enough to make their use acceptable. The AstraZeneca vaccine, however, used abortion-derived cells in all phases of development, and so should be avoided wherever possible.
The fact that it is morally permissible does not mean that someone might not dissent in conscience based on their judgment that receiving the vaccine may contribute to a culture that is already too desensitized to the evil of abortion. Such a judgment, made with the right motives, is also permissible if it is appropriately balanced with taking other precautions for the health and well-being of those who would be at risk if that person were to become infected. We are responsible not only for ourselves but also for how our actions affect others. Such a judgment is a personal one. That means that, while an individual may feel compelled in conscience not to receive the vaccine, they should not tell others they must do the same.
In summary:
· The Bishops of the United States and the Vatican have stated it is morally permissible to receive any of the current three vaccines, avoiding the one from AstraZeneca, if at all possible.
· Pope Francis and Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI have both announced they received the vaccine.
· One may, in conscience, chose not to receive the vaccine, though with due care for the health of others who may be affected. That is different from telling others they must do the same.
· These are moral judgments; for medical questions, please consult your physician.
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