Ethics and the Covid-19 vaccines

 


Amidst the suffering and fear caused by the Covid-19 epidemic,  we have been reading some good news about vaccines being developed and approved that seem to be highly effective in combating the virus.  They have been approved for emergency use in some countries already and may be approved very soon in the U.S.  It looks quite possible that they will be available to some of the public before Christmas. 

There are still many ethical questions that arise about the vaccines (can the government require citizens to take them? Who should get access to them first?  What about privacy? and so on).  But perhaps the most important ethical question is, Is it morally permissible for Catholics to receive them? The question arises because historically some vaccines have been produced from cell lines derived from children killed by abortion, and there is a serious question about whether, by taking such a vaccine, one would be cooperating with a grave moral evil.

There is a very solid group of Catholic priests, doctors and ethicists called the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC).  Our U.S. Bishops have asked them to research the question and the good news is that they have concluded that some of the first released vaccines are morally permissible to use.  I believe this includes the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but not AstraZeneca.  

I will try to update this post as more information becomes available.  In the meantime, don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions.  

You can read a little more detail on NCBC's ethical analysis here. 

Also, Archbishop Schnurr has asked us pastors to distribute information from his brief letter to pastors on this topic to the faithful.  

Another very helpful resource is the Catholic scientists at the Charlotte Lozier Institute.  If you go to their website and type "vaccine" in the search box at the upper right, you'll find great information.



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