Roman Catholic leaders in St. Louis and New Orleans advise Catholics that Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, recently approved for use in the U.S., is “morally compromised” because it is produced through a cell line derived from an aborted fetus.
The Archdiocese of New Orleans says the decision to receive a vaccine is a matter of individual conscience. In his statement late last week, he stopped advising Catholics not to take the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but adds that Catholics should choose coronavirus vaccines manufactured by Moderna or Pfizer, if they are available. .
The Archdiocese of St. Louis on Tuesday encouraged Catholics to look for Pfizer or Moderna vaccines and, if possible, avoid the Johnson & Johnson version. Like the declaration of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the declaration of St. Louis called the Johnson & Johnson vaccine “morally compromised.” However, the statement of St. Louis stresses that Catholics can get this vaccine “with good conscience if no other alternative is available.”
Later Tuesday, a statement issued by the chairmen of the committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on issues of doctrine and abortion issued a statement reiterating moral concerns. He said Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are preferable “if a vaccine can be chosen.”
While it does not dispute the claim of church officials that a cell line derived from abortion is used in production, Johnson & Johnson issued a statement Tuesday stressing that there is no fetal tissue in the vaccine.
Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine is made from a harmless cold virus, called adenovirus, the same technology he used to produce a successful Ebola vaccine. Adenovirus is cultured using what is called an immortalized cell line and the virus is removed and purified.
There are several types of cell lines created decades ago that use fetal tissue and are widely used in medical manufacturing, but the cells they contain today are clones of the first cells and not the original tissue.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a January statement that “abortion-derived” cell lines were used to test Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, but not for their development or production.
Statements by the archdiocese renewed religious discussions about the vaccine and the use of abortion-derived cells. In December, the Vatican said it was “morally acceptable to receive COVID-19 vaccines that have used aborted fetal cell lines” in the research and production process when “ethically irreproachable” vaccines are not available to the public.
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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 Vatican employees who opt for vaccination without a proven medical reason could be subject to sanctions, including layoffs.
The Archdiocese of New Orleans released its statement Friday, the day before the Food and Drug Administration cleaned up the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for use in the U.S.
Asked Tuesday about the New Orleans archdiocese’s statement, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a rare Democrat against abortion, stressed the need for people to use some of the approved vaccines available to stop the spread of the virus. .
Edwards said he spoke Sunday with Archbishop Gregory Aymond about the statement. “I haven’t read his statement as if he was completely telling people who are Catholic or otherwise not to use the Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” Edwards said.
“I’m encouraging everyone to get the first vaccine available.”
He noted in a statement Monday from Bishop Michael Duke of Baton Rouge.
Duke acknowledged “moral concerns” about the recently approved vaccine. But, he added “if for any reasonable circumstance you can only receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, feel free to do so for your safety and the common good.”
This is similar to the guide to the U.S. Bishops’ Conference published in January. “Given that COVID-19 virus can pose serious health risks, it may be morally acceptable to receive a vaccine that uses abortion-derived cell lines if there are no other vaccines that are comparable in terms of safety and efficacy. without connection to abortion “. dit.
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Associated Press reporters Luis Henao in New York, Jim Salter in St. Louis, Lauran Neergaard in Alexandria, Virginia, and Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contributed to this story.