Covid-19 is causing significant harms to people’s health. To control the spread and the impact of the pandemic, personal hygiene and protective measures are not enough, a high percentage of population need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. As members of a society, we are all interdependent on each other to help us live the way we do. Solidarity is an essential virtue directed to public welfare, and a commitment to the good of ourselves and others.
When there is an outbreak of Covid-19, not only would many patients suffer disease and death, severely ills would also take up a significant amount of intensive care and other health resources. Cancer patients and patients with other illnesses would face delays in their treatment, and the public health system would be under great pressure and even risk a collapse. The poor and the infirm would be the most affected too.
Why are some Christians against Covid-19 vaccine?
Some Covid-19 vaccines make use of abortion-derived cell lines in their development, production and/or testing. The cells from abortuses were modified into cell lines that can replicate continually and this method has been used in biomedical research as well as drug production for many years. While such abortions took place decades ago, the Church teaches against any cooperation with evil, so when we are taking advantages from the abortion incidents, we are in a sense responsible too[1],[2]. When we have resolved issues around using drugs derived from foetal tissue, scientists and drug companies will have no need to explore alternatives other than abortus in their research.
Are abortion-derived cell lines involved in the development,
production or testing of Covid-19 vaccines currently available in Hong Kong?
Both Sinovac and BioNtech used abortion-derived cell lines in their post-development testing. Among the seven Covid-19 vaccines that were given emergency permission for use from the World Health Organisation [as at June 2021], only Sinopharm’s inactivated virus vaccine is made without use of abortion-derived cell lines[3].
Why does the Church still encourage Covid-19 vaccination?
The Church reiterates its stance against abortion. However, getting vaccination not only prevents one’s own infection, it also manifests solidarity and love of one’s neighbours. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has stated that the cell lines involved in the development and production of vaccines are no longer the original cells of the abortus, the association with the original abortion incidents is remote. Considering the harm of a pandemic, so one’s potential association with the original abortion incident is very remote. Seeing the severe impact of a pandemic, when we don’t have a choice of vaccines that are safe, effective, and completely free from the use of abortion-derived cell lines, the faithful could use such vaccines with a clear conscience, for their own good and the good of others[4].
Are the Covid-19 vaccines currently in use safe?
The Church is not an expert in medicine, and not in a position to comment on the safety of vaccines. According to the report under the Covid-19 vaccines and pharmacovigilance system of the Expert Committee on Clinical Events Assessment Following Covid-19 Immunisation published in December 2021, the incidence of adverse effects following immunization is 0.06-0.07, and the incidence of Bell’s palsy is 0.003%. The faithful could refer to the monthly-updated “Report on the Safety Monitoring of COVID-19 Vaccines in Hong Kong” [https://www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/vaccine#effects].
What is the Church’s position on mandatory vaccination against Covid-19?
Practically speaking, one’s vaccination is always voluntary[5]. However, in making a moral decision, one needs to consider not only the harm and benefit to one’s own health, but also the consequences to our neighbours and the society. Therefore, to protect the weak and especially those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, it is morally responsible to get vaccinated. If the faithful refuses vaccines made with abortion-derived cell lines as his/her conscience forbids him/her, he/she should take extra steps to prevent himself/herself from being a vector of transmission which could include personal hygiene and protective measures, regular testing, etc. [6] One must protect both the life of the fetus and the life of the weak. Pope Francis said getting Covid-19 vaccine is an act of love [7]. He has also reminded the faithful to be aware of the misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines. [8]
This document is drafted by the Diocesan Committee for Bioethics
with the approval of Stephen Chow, SJ, Bishop of Hong Kong.
2022.2.8
[1] Pontifical Academy for Life. (2005). “Moral reflections on vaccines prepared from cells derived from aborted human foetuses” [https://www.immunize.org/talking-about-vaccines/vaticandocument.htm, accessed 16 January 2022].
[2] As clarified in 2017 in “Note on Italian vaccine issue” by the Pontifical Academy for Life: “the ‘wrong’ in the moral sense lies in the actions, not in the vaccines or the material itself.” [https://www.academyforlife.va/content/pav/en/the-academy/activity-academy/note-vaccini.html, accessed 16 January 2022]; i.e. the wrong lies in the actions — of those involved in the original abortion or in the decision to turn tissues from these foetuses into research materials or of those who decide to use these tissues in their own research and so on — not in the vaccines themselves.
[3] Charlotte Lozier Institute. (2021, June 2) . “Update: COVID-19 vaccine candidates and abortion-derived cell lines” [https://s27589.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/CHART-Analysis-of-COVID-19-Vaccines-02June21.pdf, accessed 16 January 2022].
[4] Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. (2020). “Note on the morality of using some anti-Covid-19 vaccines”, Note (3) [https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20201221_nota-vaccini-anticovid_en.html, accessed 16 January 2022]
[5] Ibid Note (5).
[6] Vatican Covid-19 Commission in collaboration with the Pontifical Academy for Life. (2020, December 29). “Vaccine for all. 20 points for a fairer and healthier world”, Note (13) [https://www.usccb.org/resources/Vaccine%20for%20all.%2020%20points%20for%20a%20fairer%20and%20healthier%20world.pdf, accessed 16 January 2022].
[7] Devin Watkins. (2021, August 18). “Pope Francis urges people to get vaccinated against Covid-19”, Vatican News. [https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-08/pope-francis-appeal-Covid-19-vaccines-act-of-love.html, accessed 16 January 2022].
[8] Carol Glatz.(2022, January 16). “Pope Calls for ‘Reality Check’ Against Misinformation about Vaccines”, Catholic News Service. [ https://www.catholicnews.com/pope-calls-for-reality-check-against-misinformation-about-vaccines/, accessed 27 January 2022]
