From the bulletin of January 10, 2021
As Covid-19 vaccines are becoming more available, now is a good time to consider some of the controversies around their production. First, we should make it clear what the Church says about vaccines in general. As a scientific and medical practice, it’s not the Church’s job to judge their effectiveness on a medical or scientific level. Still, the Church’s job (and mine) is to teach the truth about God and about the moral life we are called to live. Inasmuch as vaccines are meant to protect and promote health, the Church affirms that their use is a morally good thing. Where the controversy arises is in how they are made.
It is possible for a vaccine to made in a morally appropriate way. The problem, however, is that some are made using living cells derived from a human being. In the past, some doctors used a human embryo (living human being) to produce what is called a “cell line” – living tissue derived from the child. The cell line is no longer the child, but it did depend on his/her death to be made. I should make it clear that these cell lines do not cause more abortions to happen. More demand for the vaccine does not lead to more abortions because they don’t need more to keep the cell line going. Scientifically speaking, these cell lines give doctors a way to test how human tissue reacts to certain medicines and even give them raw material to help produce medicines based on the human body’s own abilities. Sadly, some vaccines are produced by using these cell lines. Others are made in another way, but then use these cell lines to test their effectiveness. The doctors who do this are acting immorally and unethically.
The question is, what do we do? If a vaccine was made using these cell lines, can we use them? What if they were only tested after the fact? If I use these medicines, am I cooperating with an abortion? To that last question, we can say no. You can’t “cooperate” with something that already happened. The abortion is in the past, so you’re not causing it or even helping it to happen. Still, is it okay to benefit from something evil? In our broken world, it’s actually impossible to avoid all ways of benefitting from someone else’s suffering. It doesn’t mean we don’t try, but that we don’t expect the impossible. How many people live on land that once belonged to natives forced out or murdered by the military in the past? Do we avoid medical treatments for hypothermia and malaria because they came from research the Nazis did in concentration camps? When we know a product or benefit came from a past evil and we have an alternative, we should pick the alternative. When we want something that came from a past evil, but it’s not really necessary or important, then we should avoid it. But what if there isn’t a choice? What if refusing this benefit (like a vaccine) could cost me my life? Should I die because someone else did something wrong in the past? The Church is clear that we should prefer to die rather than commit a sin. But is it a sin to benefit from someone else’s sin in the past? Not necessarily. If our goal and intention is the good thing (health), and we firmly oppose the evil thing (abortion), and there is no viable alternative, then it is not a sin to use it.
In particular, there are three Covid vaccines already being used in the U.S: AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer. More are coming, but are not ready yet. AstraZeneca produces their vaccine using cell lines derived from an aborted child. This does not mean they inject you with a baby’s cells, only that cell lines derived from a child are part of the production process. Both Moderna and Pfizer do not use the cell lines to make their vaccines. Some labs (not run by them) did use the cell lines to test the effectiveness of these two vaccines. It’s not clear whether or not these kinds of tests will be repeated in the future. There are more vaccines on the way, some of which don’t use these cell lines in any way whatsoever, but it’s not clear when they will be available.
So, do we use the ones we have now or not? The Church is clear that no one should be forced to take them. It also tells us that, because we are not causing any more abortion, it’s not a sin to use these vaccines if there are no alternatives. We should also voice our objections to the use of cell lines and advocate for alternatives. For those at-risk and those in direct contact with at-risk people (which is most of us), we can use the vaccines available now. It’s not that good consequences outweigh the bad – that’s not how we judge right and wrong. The choice itself is good, but we know there are past evils connected to it and some negative side-effects. The choice we are making is to protect our health and the health of others. The bad side-effect is that it can look like we’re okay with a past abortion. That’s why we should voice our objections and, when possible, choose better alternatives. I would advise people to avoid AstraZeneca because of their production and because we already have better (but not perfect) alternatives. You are free to wait for alternatives which have no connection to these cell lines at all or to decline the vaccine altogether. Once they become available, we should opt for those wherever possible. Please don’t make this about politics. Reflect carefully and pray for wisdom. Pray also for a more just society that protects and honors every life. Finally, I urge you to avoid judging those who come to a different decision than you about whether or not they will take the vaccine. Taking the vaccine may not be sinful, but condemning others definitely is.
– In Christ,
Fr. Albert