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April 18, 2020By United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Four bishop chairmen of committees for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have urged Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to ensure that vaccines for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are developed ethically and are free from any connection to the exploitation of abortion.
The chairmen signing the letter to the FDA commissioner are Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities; Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, chairman of the Committee on Doctrine; and Bishop John F. Doerfler of Marquette, chairman of the Subcommittee on Healthcare Issues.
They were joined by the leaders of many healthcare, bioethics and pro-life organizations, including the Philadelphia-based National Catholic Bioethics Center, whose chairman is New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond.
Joseph Meaney, Ph.D., president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, signed off on the letter.
The letter expressed strong support for efforts to develop an "effective, safe and widely available vaccine as quickly as possible,” but also strongly urged that the federal government “ensure that fundamental moral principles are followed in the development of such vaccines, most importantly, the principle that human life is sacred and should never be exploited.”
The letter noted that “among the dozens of vaccines currently in development, some are being produced using old cell lines that were created from the cells of aborted babies.”
Furthermore, “there is no need to use ethically problematic cell lines to produce a COVID vaccine, or any vaccine, as other cell lines or processes that do not involve cells from abortions are available and are regularly being used,” the signers stated.
It is critically important that Americans have access to a vaccine that is produced ethically: no American should be forced to choose between being vaccinated against this potentially deadly virus and violating his or her conscience.”
To view all of the signatories and to read the full text of the letter, click here.
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Keywords: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, Bishop John F. Doerfler, Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Diocese of Marquette, Committee on Pro-Life Activities; Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; Committee on Doctrine; Subcommittee on Healthcare Issues, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, vaccine, healthcare, pro-life, coronavirus, Covid-19.
