The chairmen of the U.S. bishop committees on doctrine and anti-abortion activities issued a statement on Monday emphasizing that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 should be seen by Catholics as “an act of love” and a “moral responsibility” despite its connections to abortion.
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were involved in a commonly employed “confirmatory test” that relies on HEK293, a cell line derived from a human embryonic kidney cell from a fetus that was aborted in the 1970s. Because of this, some Catholics, including bishops, have expressed concerns about the ethics of getting the vaccine, with some calling for Catholics to “reject a vaccine which has been produced immorally.”
“Moderna vaccine is not morally produced,” Texas Bishop Joseph Strickland tweeted in November. “Unborn children died in abortions and then their bodies were used as ‘laboratory specimens’. I urge all who believe in the sanctity of life to reject a vaccine which has been produced immorally.”
Moderna vaccine is not morally produced. Unborn children died in abortions and then their bodies were used as “laboratory specimens”. I urge all who believe in the sanctity of life to reject a vaccine which has been produced immorally.
— Bishop J. Strickland (@Bishopoftyler) November 16, 2020
In their statement, the committees encouraged people to get the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines despite the connection.
“In view of the gravity of the current pandemic and the lack of availability of alternative vaccines, the reasons to accept the new COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are sufficiently serious to justify their use, despite their remote connection to morally compromised cell lines,” the committees wrote, referring to the use of HEK293-derived tests. “Being vaccinated safely against COVID-19 should be considered an act of love of our neighbor and part of our moral responsibility for the common good.”
The statement was not without caveats. The bishops argued that the AstraZeneca vaccine, which used HEK293 not just in testing but in the “design, development, and production states” of the vaccine, “is more morally compromised” and “should be avoided if there are alternatives available.” They also warned that the Catholic community “must not allow the gravely immoral nature of abortion to be obscured.”
“We should be on guard so that the new COVID-19 vaccines do not desensitize us or weaken our determination,” the bishops wrote.
The letter was signed by the Most Revs. Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend and Joseph Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for further comment.
