The Allentown Diocese on Wednesday joined other Roman Catholic leaders advising Catholics that Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, recently approved for use in the United States, is “morally compromised” because it is produced using a derived cell line of an aborted fetus.
Other vaccines are available that are morally more acceptable, said Bishop Alfred Schlert in an article published by the AD Today diocese.
The advice to the faithful voices in the Lehigh Valley concerns similar to those broadcast by Catholic leaders in St. Louis and New Orleans.
The archdiocese of New Orleans says the decision to receive the vaccine is an individual decision. In his statement at the end of last week, he did not advise Catholics not to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but adds that Catholics should choose coronavirus vaccines made by Moderna or Pfizer – if they are available.
The Archdiocese of St. Louis on Tuesday encouraged Catholics to seek Pfizer or Moderna vaccines and avoid the Johnson & Johnson version if possible. Like the declaration of the archdiocese of New Orleans, the St. Louis declaration called the Johnson & Johnson vaccine “morally compromised”. However, the St. Louis statement emphasized that Catholics can obtain this vaccine “in good conscience if no other alternative is available”.
Later on Tuesday, a statement issued by the chairmen of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ committees on issues of doctrine and abortion issued a statement reiterating moral concerns. He said that Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are preferable “if someone has the ability to choose a vaccine.”
Despite not contesting church officials’ claim that an abortion-derived cell line is used in production, Johnson & Johnson issued a statement on Tuesday emphasizing that there is no fetal tissue in its vaccine.
Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine is made with a harmless cold virus, called adenovirus, the same technology used to produce a successful Ebola vaccine. The adenovirus is grown using what is called an immortalized cell line, and then the virus is removed and purified.
Several types of cell lines created decades ago using fetal tissue exist and are widely used in the manufacture of medical products, but the cells that exist today are clones of the initial cells, not the original tissue.
The United States Catholic Bishops’ Conference said in a January statement that cell lines “derived from abortion” were used to test the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, but not in their development or production.
The Archdiocese’s statements renewed religious discussions about the vaccine and the use of cells derived from abortion. In December, the Vatican said that “it is morally acceptable to receive COVID-19 vaccines that used cell lines from aborted fetuses” in the research and production process when “ethically faultless” vaccines are not available to the public.
Pope Francis has often spoken about the need to ensure that vaccines are widely available, especially for the poor and marginalized. And last month, a decree signed by the Vatican City State Governor said that Vatican officials who chose not to be vaccinated without a proven medical reason could be subject to sanctions, including dismissal.
The Archdiocese of New Orleans posted its statement on Friday, the day before the Food and Drug Administration released the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for use in the United States.
Asked on Tuesday about the statement by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards – a rare anti-abortion Democrat – emphasized the need for people to use any of the approved vaccines available to stop the virus from spreading.
Edwards said he spoke on Sunday with Archbishop Gregory Aymond about the statement. “I didn’t read your statement as completely telling people who are Catholic or not to not use the Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” said Edwards.
“I am encouraging everyone to get the first vaccine available to them.”
He noted a statement issued on Monday by Bishop Michael Duca of Baton Rouge.
Duca acknowledged “moral concerns” about the newly approved vaccine. But, he added “if for any reasonable circumstance you can only get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, you should feel free to do so for your safety and the common good.”
This is similar to the guidance of the United States Episcopal Conference released in January. “Given that the COVID-19 virus can involve serious health risks, it may be morally acceptable to receive a vaccine that uses abortion-derived cell lines if no other vaccine available comparable in safety and efficacy without a connection to abortion,” the January guidance said.
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The Associated Press and supervising reporter Kurt Bresswein contributed to this report. Reach it in [email protected].