Vaccine Safety & Morality

Primum non nocere - “first, do no harm.” While the phrase dates back a couple of centuries, the concept goes back to the ancient Hippocratic oath, some form of which has been taken by countless physicians. The intent of doing good does not by itself justify serious risk of harm. However, as anyone who has watched a TV ad for medication or signed a med-ical consent form can tell you, almost every treatment has some risks associated with it. Clearly a pandemic that has cost over two million lives worldwide pre-sents a strong case for taking some risks to reduce the likelihood of contracting or spreading COVID-19, especially among those most vulnerable.

Despite the accelerated timeline of the three-phase trials, the general safety and effectiveness of the vaccines approved for emergency use in the United States appear to be substantially proven among average adults. For me personally, this is enough to justify my getting the vaccine, and as someone who provides spiritual care for the sick, I recently received my first shot. I hope these studies would be enough for any adult who is in one or more vulnerable categories for this virus to seriously consider getting vaccinated. In such cases, most people would see the hope of protection for us and others outweighing the risks involved -- especially in the foreseeable future. In fact, some Catholic ethicists would argue the protection of others could even rise to the level of a mor-al imperative to get vaccinated. While that may be true for some vaccines, Fr. Lambert and I do not think that is a fair imposition to put on people with such a new disease and vaccine. Those who are in special situations that have not yet been adequately studied (e.g., children, expectant mothers, etc.) should definitely consult their personal physicians to evaluate their individual risks and benefits before making a decision to vaccinate. Those who are not vulnerable may have other concerns to take into account, such as the lack of long-term studies for potential side effects in the future. While less of a concern for those advanced in age, these concerns might leave some people understandably hesitant to get vaccinated right away, and we need to respect the consciences of those who are struggling to make these sometimes difficult healthcare choices. Thankfully, many people are seeking to be vaccinated as soon as possible, and hopefully in time the concerns of others will be adequately addressed so they too can consider getting vaccinated.

One area that Catholic moral authorities have been virtually unanimous about is the very remote connection some vaccines have with cell lines from aborted fetuses. We should never support actively ending the life of a human being at any stage of development, even for the sake of medical breakthroughs. However, the connection between any of the vaccines in use or in development with abortions that happened decades ago is so remote that it is not a significant concern for the person receiving the vaccines today. Catholic teaching authorities from our Archbishop Cardinal Seán to the US Conference of Bishops to the Congregations in Rome have all affirmed the morality of receiving these vaccines, in spite of this connection, for the good of those being vaccinated and for the common good. There is a short paper explaining these decisions available on our website for any of you who wish to read more about the topic.

Meanwhile, please pray for those who are most vulnerable and urgently seeking access to a vaccine, as well as for those administering them. Perhaps there is an older person you know who could use your assistance navigating the online process for scheduling an appointment. And let us not use this final part of the pandemic to become judgmental of others for their personal and sometimes difficult decisions about whether to get vaccinated. We need to be respectful of one another in how we make our own healthcare deci-sions and in how we respect the decisions of others.