Local dioceses should promote vaccination

Despite reporting by The Spokesman Review on Dec. 21 that the Vatican declared it “morally acceptable” for parishioners to receive COVID-19 vaccines using aborted fetus cell lines, local Catholic leaders still encourage Catholics to avoid these vaccines, showing disregard for community members’ health (“Local Catholic leaders say to avoid Johnson & Johnson vaccine made with fetal cell lines if possible, but health experts disagree,” March 4).

During my undergraduate studies at Whitworth University and recently in medical school, I have learned about vaccine development. As a first-year medical student at Creighton University, a Jesuit institution, I have learned the ethics behind vaccines in the eyes of the Catholic Church, specifically those developed from aforementioned cell lines. We were taught the Ethical Religious Directives (ERDs) that all Catholic medical institutions must abide by. Stemming from these is a statement from the Pontifical Academy of Life that says it is acceptable for an individual to receive these vaccines, arguing that not vaccinating is another ethical issue in itself. The Dioceses of Spokane and Boise’s departure from both the Vatican’s statement and the ERD make it clear that their statement was uninformed and not in line with the rest of the Church.

One would think that, armed with this information, local dioceses would be encouraging vaccination instead of providing conflicting information. I encourage the Catholic Dioceses of Spokane and Boise to reconsider their stance and provide their parishioners with consistent information so they can make their individual, informed choices.

Lauren Townson

Richland