Statement by The Christ Medicus Foundation addressing the problematic rise of vaccine mandates
“The Christ Medicus Foundation calls for a respect of the conscience of the individual to make their own decisions about what medical interventions to receive or not receive.”
For Immediate Release
(Troy, MI) July 1, 2021
Mike O’Dea, Christ Medicus Foundation (CMF) Board President; Michael Vacca, J.D., CMF Director of Bioethics, Ministry, and Membership Experience; and Louis Brown, J.D., CMF Executive Director, made the following statement on behalf of the Christ Medicus Foundation:
The Christ Medicus Foundation stands in solidarity with all those suffering from the serious COVID-19 virus and those medical professionals caring for the sick. As our country continues to combat this virus, just measures must be utilized that protect the human and civil rights of every person.
In recent days, COVID-19 vaccine mandates have begun to proliferate on many fronts, from employers and businesses to cities such as New York. Vaccines are a type of preventive medical intervention intended to protect against future illnesses. Like all medical interventions, taking a vaccine is a personal decision that needs to be conscientiously discerned. What needs to be discerned are the benefits and risks of the vaccine for a particular person, the connection to immoral practices such as abortion, however remote, and finally, how taking a vaccine or not aligns with God’s providential care for each person. As the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith affirmed, “practical reason makes evident that vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation and that, therefore, it must be voluntary.” As the South Dakota Catholic Bishops also affirmed, “The Church teaches and right reason affirms that, as a general rule, free and informed consent is required prior to all medical treatments and procedures, including vaccination…Consent is free if one has the ability to decline a medical intervention following discernment of relevant information and in accord with one’s certain conscience, without coercion or fear of punishment.” As the Colorado Catholic Bishops have said, “The Catholic Church teaches that a person may refuse a medical intervention, including a vaccination, if his or her conscience leads them to that decision.” The Colorado Bishops also stated, “In the case of the COVID-19 vaccine, we are convicted that the government should not impose medical interventions on an individual or group of persons. We urge respect for each person’s convictions and personal choices.”
The choice to receive or not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine is an inherently personal decision. Coercing or pressuring people to receive a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition to maintain employment, as a condition of travel, as a condition for obtaining an education, or for any reason whatsoever is a grave violation of the fundamental human, civil, and religious right to act according to one’s conscience in receiving or refusing medical interventions. The Christ Medicus Foundation calls for a respect of the conscience of the individual to make their own decisions about what medical interventions to receive or not receive. Any system that forces a person to receive a medical intervention, whether a vaccine or any other medical intervention, against their will, contravenes the fundamental human right of a person to consent to medical interventions.
We pray that we may all turn to Jesus Christ, the Divine Physician and source of all healing: soul, mind, and body. We pray that He may heal and protect all those suffering from COVID-19 and the medical professionals serving those in need.
PRESS CONTACT: Kathy Dempsey for Christ Medicus Foundation
202-359-4379; [email protected]
About the Christ Medicus Foundation (christmedicus.org): The Christ Medicus Foundation is a Catholic 501(c)3 non-profit, dedicated to sharing God’s love through defending religious freedom in health care; expanding the availability of Christ-centered Catholic medical care, especially for the poor and vulnerable; and providing an affordable Catholic health care solution to individuals and families.
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