Missouri Bishops Issue Statement on COVID-19 Vaccines

Along with Pfizer's announcement today that it is seeking emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine, the Missouri Catholic Conference has issued a statement to briefly address ethical concerns about vaccines and the use of aborted fetal stem cells in vaccine research. The bishops stated that if safe and effective vaccines are available that don't rely on aborted fetal cell lines, they "should clearly be the preferred option" for Catholics. "The vaccines currently in development which utilize problematic cell lines, however, should not keep Catholics from seeking vaccination," they stated. "Preserving one's health and that of others outweighs the remote association with past abortions which were neither desired nor intended by those now using the vaccines." To read the complete statement, click here.