Catholic bishops are opposing. This matters?

Shortly after the FDA approved Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot COVID vaccine this week, leaders of the United States Catholic Bishops’ Conference issued a warning: “Approval … again raises questions about the moral permissibility of using developed vaccines , tested and / or produced with the help of abortion derived cell lines. “

Some officials made even stronger statements. The archdiocese of New Orleans described the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as “morally compromised”. The deeply conservative bishop of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, in November, urged Catholics to reject the three approved vaccines as “not morally produced”.

Why are Catholic bishops speaking publicly about vaccines? Here’s what you need to know about religious objection and its impact.

Why are some Catholics opposed to the J&J vaccine?

Human fetal cells are commonly used in medical research, including vaccine development and production. Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson used cell lines (known as HEK293 and PER.C6) taken from tissues of aborted fetuses from the 1970s and 1980s. The cells used in the testing and production of these vaccines are clones, not directly from the original fetal tissue. .

While Moderna and Pfizer used the cells to test their vaccines, Johnson & Johnson used PER.C6 cells – or, as the bishops called them, “abortion-derived cell lines” – in the development and production of their vaccine.

In December, the USCCB said the two RNA vaccines were “far removed from the initial ill of abortion”. But that is not the case with Johnson & Johnson, according to the bishops: “If one can choose between equally safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, the vaccine with the least connection to abortion-derived cell lines should be chosen,” the bishops said in their statement this week. Johnson & Johnson, along with other medical ethics experts and medical experts, emphasized that the cells are not fetal material in themselves.

Will this statement change the behavior of Catholics?

It is unlikely. The USCCB can often be much more optimistic about the issue of abortion than the Vatican. Pope Francis, for example, spoke about the urgent need to get vaccinated to save lives without dwelling on the issue of cell lines; in fact, the Vatican offered the Pfizer vaccine to all its citizens and made it mandatory for employees. Francisco himself was vaccinated in January.

J. Patrick Hornbeck, professor of theology at Fordham University, said that in Catholic moral theology, the problem with medical research using fetal cells is the idea of ​​”cooperating with evil”. But the church can look at these issues with nuances, and most liberal and moderate thinkers in the church have agreed that concerns about pharmaceutical companies profiting from abortion products are outweighed by the need to save lives.

A small number of more traditionally minded American Catholics who pay attention to what the USCCB says may decide to postpone receiving the vaccine, despite Vatican statements. It is also possible that bishops who speak out against the vaccine may influence some Catholics. But a large number of Catholics do not agree with US bishops on politically charged issues, such as LGBT rights and even abortion. (A 2016 report by the Pew Research Center found that only 8 percent of US Catholics said that contraception was morally wrong, even if the Church was unequivocally opposed to it.) “They are by no means in line with the bishops. ”Said Hornbeck. “The practical impact will be minimal.”

The only meaning that Hornbeck sees in the declaration is as a data point for the conservative turn of the American bishops. “It seems to me that the USCCB has chosen to adopt a cultural war mentality,” said Hornbeck. “It is a pity that this easy call in Catholic moral theology is being leveraged in a way that can prevent people from getting the vaccine they need.”

Will this affect the way in which Catholic institutions distribute vaccines?

Catholic churches, schools, elderly care centers and hospitals are a significant part of the distribution of vaccines across the country. It is possible that the USCCB statement affects the way churches and schools decide to act and will agree to distribute the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The Archdiocese of New Orleans told the Religion News Service that it was “asking all Catholic entities to distribute vaccines in accordance with the ethical guidelines we disclose”.

But it appears that Catholic hospitals are committed to continuing to prioritize medical needs. The Catholic Health Association, which represents thousands of hospitals and other health facilities, said last month that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was “morally acceptable” and told RNS this week that the USCCB statement would not affect its decision to distribute it .

Can Catholics cite their religious objection to avoid the J&J vaccine?

The bishops’ statement made it clear that Catholics should only avoid the Johnson & Johnson vaccine if they have the option to choose another one. But experts say such a statement is useless: we cannot afford to choose in the midst of a global pandemic.

Most pharmacies and other vaccination sites will not tell you which vaccine you will receive in advance. But there are ways for an individual with religious concerns to increase their chances of getting Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. The most obvious way is to get vaccinated as soon as possible. The J&J vaccine is just being launched, so most places that currently distribute vaccines probably have one of the two RNA vaccines. One of the great benefits of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is that it can be stored more easily. Therefore, if a state has to allocate its supply of vaccines, it is more likely to target its spoiled Modern and Pfizer vaccines to hospitals and other medical settings most likely to have the freezers these vaccines need. And it is more likely to use the J&J vaccine in temporary locations, such as parking lots, churches and schools, which do not have access to heavy medical equipment.

It will take a few months for the crisis to be managed to the point where health experts hope to start thinking about more targeted use of vaccines. But Catholic experts and theologians are united in urging people not to wait so long. Even the USCCB made it clear in its December statement that receiving a vaccine whenever recommended by health officials is a moral imperative: “Receiving one of the COVID-19 vaccines must be understood as an act of charity towards the other members of our community. Thus, being safely vaccinated against COVID-19 must be considered an act of love for others and part of our moral responsibility for the common good. “

Thanks to Antonio Alonso of Emory University; Noel Brewer, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Bernard Nahlen, of the University of Notre Dame; Jonathan Temte, from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health; and Bruce Y. Lee at the Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy at CUNY.