Catholic dioceses urge parishioners to sidestep Johnson & Johnson vaccine if possible
The dioceses of Greensburg and Pittsburgh are supporting a recommendation by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) that parishioners avoid, if possible, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine against COVID-19.
The statement by the bishops, which was released Tuesday, said that believers should get the vaccines that are being manufactured by Pfizer or Moderna, rather than the newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine if they have a choice. In a statement, the bishops said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine “was developed, tested and is produced with abortion-derived cell lines.”
But the bishops also recommended that if the faithful have no choice and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is the only one available, they should go ahead and get that. That is in line with a December directive from the Vatican that it is “morally acceptable to receive COVID-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process” if there is no other option available.
The statement from the bishops concluded, “While we should continue to insist that pharmaceutical companies stop using abortion-derived cell lines, given the worldwide suffering that this pandemic is causing, we affirm again that being vaccinated can be an act of charity that serves the common good.”
Paul Paterra, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg, explained that the diocese has not prohibited the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and is referring reporters to the statement released by the USCCB.
“Our interpretation of the statement regarding the vaccines is that while the Pzifer and Moderna vaccines are not as morally compromised as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, our understanding of the USCCB statement is that if they are not available, it is morally acceptable to take the Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” Paterra said.
The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh also referred reporters to the statement by the bishops.
In response to the bishops, Johnson & Johnson said in a statement that the company has held itself to “to the highest bioethical standards and guidelines” in developing the vaccine. It also said there is no fetal tissue in the vaccine.
“We are able to manufacture hundreds of millions of doses using our engineered cell-line system and look forward to delivering those doses around the world and help meet the critical need,” the statement concluded.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, approved late last month by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, requires only a single shot, unlike the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, and can be stored at standard refrigerator temperatures. The two other vaccines available in the United States now require storage at significantly colder temperatures.
Fetal cell lines are sometimes used in the development of vaccines, but experts point out that they are thousands of generations removed from the original source.