U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops opposes Johnson & Johnson vaccine

RALEIGH, N.C. (WWAY) — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has released a statement opposing the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine because of the vaccine’s connection with stem cells from an aborted baby.

The Conference tells Catholics that “if one has the ability to choose a vaccine, Pfizer or Moderna’s vaccines should be chosen over Johnson & Johnson’s.”

The statement explains the Conference’s position on the differences between Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine and the vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer by noting a difference between the testing process and the production process.

“Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines raised concerns because an abortion-derived cell line was used for testing them, but not in their production,” the Conference’s statement reads. “The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, however, was developed, tested and is produced with abortion-derived cell lines raising additional moral concerns.”

The Conference notes that while they insist “that pharmaceutical companies stop using abortion-derived cell lines,” they nevertheless recognize that “being vaccinated can be an act of charity that serves the common good.”

The Conference disapproves of aspects of all three vaccines; however, “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.’”

Therefore, they urge Catholics that “the vaccine with the least connection to abortion-derived cell lines should be chosen.”