Responding to questions that have been raised about the Johnson & Johnson Coronavirus vaccine, which in some cases is the only vaccine being offered, the Bishops of Pennsylvania have issued a statement.
“When people have no choice about which COVID vaccine to receive, it is morally acceptable to receive any vaccine they are offered,” the Bishops said in a joint statement.
“This is based on the December 2020 guidance from the Vatican, stating 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,” the statement said.
“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 Bishops said.
“In essence, we recognize that at this time individuals are not given a choice of which vaccine to receive; this should not prevent Catholics from getting vaccinated as soon as possible,” the statement said.
For the entire Pennsylvania Bishops’ statement, please refer to the Diocese website.
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