Why Some Catholics Are Being Told Not To Get The Johnson & Johnson COVID Vaccine

Some Catholics are being urged not to get the Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) COVID vaccine even after the drug received Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization.

The Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans has told its members to avoid the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine after declaring it “morally compromised” due to the "extensive use of abortion-derived cell lines" in its development.

The archdiocese said in the statement, “The latest vaccine from Janssen/Johnson & Johnson is morally compromised as it uses the abortion-derived cell line in development and production of the vaccine as well as the testing."

The archdiocese maintained that the decision to get the COVID vaccine is an individual choice, and, if possible, members should seek out the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna shot as it said they “do not rely on cell lines from abortions in the manufacturing process.”

The archdiocese continued by saying, “We also maintain that in no way does the Church’s position diminish the wrongdoing of those who decided to use cell lines from abortions to make vaccines.”

All three of the COVID vaccine makers did use cells from tissue from aborted fetuses in the 1970s, but the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech shots only used them during testing, which the archdiocese said the “connection to abortion is extremely remote,” The National Catholic Reporter said.

Following the statement from the Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, it is unclear how vaccine distribution will be affected at some places of worship, including Catholic churches serving as vaccination sites, reports the outlet.

Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky told NBC’s "Today" show on Monday that its COVID vaccine will roll out to vaccination sites in the next “24 to 48 hours.”

A spokesperson for the Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans told the National Catholic Reporter, "The Archdiocese of New Orleans is asking all Catholic entities to distribute vaccines according to the ethical guidelines we have released."

The statement from the Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans indicates that its guidance is from the Vatican, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the National Catholic Bioethics Center, however, they have yet to release a public statement on their descent or support of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The use of aborted cells in drug development has long been shunned by some Catholic groups, which Johnson & Johnson defends as necessary for medical breakthroughs on disease prevention, The Hill reported.

In a statement on its website, Johnson & Johnson said, "As a research tool, human pluripotent stem cells promise to expand our understanding of normal physiologic processes such as cell growth and differentiation, and to enable new insights into disease, which may lead to new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat a wide variety of disorders.”

In December, the Vatican issued guidelines for Catholics regarding the COVID vaccine, saying it was “morally acceptable” despite the use of the aborted-cell lines in their research, according to the Associated Press.

Pope Francis was inoculated in January with the COVID vaccine, the Vatican said. He called the vaccine “an ethical action, because you are gambling with your health, you are gambling with your life, but you are also gambling with the lives of others.”

It was unclear at the time of writing which shot he received.

Shares of Johnson & Johnson were trading at $159.65 as of pre-market hours on Tuesday, up 33 cents or 0.21%.