Bishop Richard F. Stika of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville is echoing concerns raised by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine approved for use this week in the United States is morally questionable, but like the USCCB, Bishop Stika has also reassured Catholics that accepting the vaccine in certain circumstances may be acceptable.
“I think we’re all compelled to make moral choices, but sometimes we are backed into a corner and we have to make an actual decision. My advice is that when you make an appointment, whether it’s with a county or another health entity, ask about the vaccine. For the most part, you won’t have a choice.
“For the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, we as a Church find it to be morally questionable. However, there are going to be situations where you are forced to accept it as the only choice. It would be different if your main intention is to seek out that particular type of vaccine, but at some point, you might not have a choice. God will understand that, Bishop Stika said.”
On Tuesday, the USCCB released a statement on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and the previously released Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
The statement was issued from Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Doctrine, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities.
“The approval of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in the United States again raises questions about the moral permissibility of using vaccines developed, tested, and/or produced with the help of abortion-derived cell lines,” the statement said.
“Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines raised concerns because an abortion-derived cell line was used for testing them, but not in their production. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, however, was developed, tested, and is produced with abortion-derived cell lines raising additional moral concerns. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has judged that
‘when ethically irreproachable Covid-19 vaccines are not available … it is morally acceptable to receive Covid-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process.’ However, if one can choose among equally safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, the vaccine with the least connection to abortion-derived cell lines should be chosen. Therefore, if one has the ability to choose a vaccine, Pfizer or Moderna’s vaccines should be chosen over Johnson & Johnson’s.
“While we should continue to insist that pharmaceutical companies stop using abortion-derived cell lines, given the world-wide suffering that this pandemic is causing, we affirm again that being vaccinated can be an act of charity that serves the common good,” the USCCB statement concluded.