Rev. Kyle Ratuiste: Ethical questions and responses to the COVID-19 vaccines – A Catholic perspective

Amidst the challenges and excitement associated with the COVID-19 vaccination effort, the Catholic Church stands out as conspicuously concerned about the ethical status of these vaccines. The concerns stem from the fact that all currently available COVID-19 vaccines in the United States have been developed, produced, and/or tested with immortalized cell lines originally derived several decades in the past from the remains of aborted unborn humans. In short: There is a connection between these vaccines and abortion. Observers – whether Catholic or not – may reasonably ask two questions: “So what?” and “If I share this ethical concern, what do I do?”

Raising moral questions in the middle of a global pandemic can seem inconvenient at best and even endangering at worst. Why bother with the niceties of ethics when untold lives are on the line? I offer three quick points.

First, we as human beings demand that we conduct ourselves ethically in all endeavors. This is perhaps especially true in medicine, which is characterized by both the lofty pursuit of health and the inescapable power differentials between the healers and those in need of healing.

Second, the underlying issue of abortion is undeniably significant. Regardless of your stance on legal abortion access, if you acknowledge that abortion ends a distinct human life, then you have introduced an ethical challenge: How can we reconcile an activity that takes life (i.e., abortion) with an endeavor aimed at the preservation of life (i.e., medicine)?

Third, even though the abortions associated with the current vaccines took place well in the past, we recognize our own insistence to address past injustices. Surely a society that has revised public statuary, street names and school mascots to reckon with historic sins can tolerate the difficult conversation about how our contemporary efforts to preserve human lives are connected with actions that took the lives of vulnerable and voiceless humans.

If you are struck by the moral relevance of the connection between the current vaccines and past abortions, I make three recommendations.

First, recognize that this is not as cut-and-dry as other moral issues addressed by the Catholic Church. In Catholic moral theology, certain actions are “intrinsically evil.” These actions, by their nature, are always and everywhere unjustifiable and wrong. Although the Catholic Church has consistently denounced abortion as intrinsically evil, it has not said the same thing about accepting a vaccine connected to a past abortion. Since 2005, the teaching offices of the Vatican and the vast majority of Catholic bishops, bioethicists and moral theologians have affirmed that we find ourselves in a situation of moral freedom with respect to the vaccines connected to abortion, assuming that vaccines without such a connection are unavailable. Catholics may morally receive these vaccines and are advised to consider how vaccination can contribute to the common good, but they are not strictly morally obligated to take them either. Also, the underlying ethical situation continues to be unsatisfactory, and Catholics have a responsibility to help rectify it. For more detailed descriptions and analyses of Catholic teaching on vaccines and abortion-derived cell lines, I invite you to explore the resources made available by the Diocese of Spokane at www.dioceseofspokane.org/guidance-on-covid-19-vaccines.

Second, strive for a virtuous, conscientious response to the situation you face. Ultimately, the choice to accept or decline a COVID-19 vaccine is left to the individual conscience. This means that people will make different practical choices about the vaccine, even when trying to operate within the same moral framework. This is perfectly acceptable. Some cautions from multiple Catholic sources: Those who choose to accept a vaccine should be careful to guard against unwitting complacency toward abortion and other transgressions against human dignity in health care and research. Alternatively, a choice to decline a vaccine should not be license to disregard care for one’s neighbor through the use of sensible infection control practices.

Third, take practical steps to work for the obsolescence of abortion and abortion-derived cell lines. I worry that much of the energy spent in some Catholic and pro-life circles debating the precise moral status of these vaccines has distracted from truly efficacious projects and opportunities to – frankly – put our money where our mouth is. Does concern about the vaccines impel us to support initiatives that help build up a culture more receptive to and respectful of life? There are many admirable works to support. As a Catholic, I fondly point out PREPARES, a statewide effort by the Catholic dioceses of Washington State to support vulnerable mothers, fathers and families from pregnancy through early childhood. You can support PREPARES at www.preparesforlife.org. Additionally, there are promising endeavors by pro-life scientists to create biotechnologies that could replace the currently used abortion-derived cell lines. One example is the John Paul II Medical Research Institute, which relies on donated funds to operate. It can be supported at www.jp2mri.org.

The Rev. Kyle Ratuiste, M.S., M.Div, S.T.B., serves as the Diocesan Bioethicist for the Catholic Diocese of Spokane.