The American Conference of Catholic Bishops this week encouraged Catholics to choose Pfizer or Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines over Johnson & Johnson, if possible, because the latter’s vaccination was developed from stem cells obtained during two abortions decades ago.
Bishop Kevin Rhoades, chairman of the Conference’s Committee on Doctrine, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, chairman of the conference’s Committee for Pro-Life Activities, called on Catholics in a Tuesday statement to Pfizer or Moderna’s vaccine over Johnson & Johnson, if available.
But they added that it is ‘morally acceptable’ for worshipers to receive any COVID-19 vaccine if there is no choice, stating that they should be vaccinated ‘a charity that serves the common good’.
According to several reports, Pfizer and Moderna used cell lines derived from fetal tissue to test their vaccines. However, Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine was developed from stem cells obtained from two abortions.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine became the third candidate to be admitted for emergency use in the US earlier this month after the vaccinations of Moderna and Pfizer were approved in December.
Catholic groups opposed to abortion have long criticized medical companies that use human cell lines of aborted fetuses.
Several dioceses in the U.S. have also expressed concern about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans last week called Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine ‘morally affected’ over the use of stem cells obtained through abortions.
The Vatican announced in December guidelines that it is acceptable for Catholics around the world to receive COVID-19 vaccines ‘that have used aborted fetal cell lines in their research and production process’, as ‘ethically irrevocable’ coronavirus vaccines do not is not available.
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Johnson & Johnson said in a statement to The Hill: “We are able to produce hundreds of millions of doses using our engineered cellular system and look forward to delivering the doses around the world and providing the critical need.”
The statement also notes that the vaccine ” uses an inactivated non-infectious adenovirus vector – similar to a cold virus – that encodes the coronavirus’ spike ‘(S) protein’ ‘and that’ there is no fetal tissue in the vaccine is not. ‘
Updated: 19:25