The U.S. 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 inoculation was developed from stem cells obtained from two abortions decades ago .
Bishop Kevin Rhoades, chair of the conference’s doctrine committee, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, chair of the conference’s pro-life committee, called on Catholics in a statement on Tuesday to choose the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine above that of Johnson & Johnson, if a choice is available.
But they added that it is “ morally acceptable ” for worshipers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine when there is no choice, calling vaccination “ an act of charity that serves the common good. ”
Pfizer and Moderna used cell lines derived from fetal tissue in the testing of their vaccines, according to multiple reports. However, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was developed from stem cells obtained from two abortions.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine became the third candidate to be approved for emergency use in the US earlier this month, after Moderna and Pfizer’s vaccinations were approved in December.
Catholic groups opposing abortion have long criticized medical companies using human cell lines from aborted fetuses.
Several dioceses in the US have also expressed concerns about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans last week called the Johnson & Johnson vaccine “morally compromised” for using stem cells obtained from abortions.
The Vatican issued guidelines in December that it is acceptable for Catholics around the world to receive COVID-19 vaccines “that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and manufacturing process” when “ethically flawless” coronavirus vaccines are not available.
Pope Francis
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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 cell line system and look forward to delivering those doses around the world and helping meet the critical need.”
The statement also noted that the vaccine “uses an inactivated non-infectious adenovirus vector – similar to a cold virus – encoding the coronavirus ‘spike’ protein (S)” and that “there is no fetal tissue in the vaccine.”
Updated: 7:25 PM