The Archdiocese of New Orleans says the newly-approved Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine is "morally compromised" because its manufacture involves cell lines derived from abortions performed in the 1970s and 1980s.
"The archdiocese must instruct Catholics that 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," the New Orleans Catholic church said in a statement.
"We maintain that the decision to receive the COVID-19 vaccine remains one of individual conscience in consultation with one’s healthcare provider," the archdiocese said, but it also urged Catholics to choose the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines if available.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were also developed using cell lines from abortions, but only in the research and testing phase, the Archdiocese said, not as part of the manufacturing process. The church said those vaccines' connection to abortion are therefore "extremely remote."
