Press Release: The Food and Drug Administration has a Moral Obligation to Ethical Development of any COVID-19 Vaccine

Press Release – For Immediate Release
Troy, MI (April 23, 2020)

Last week, four Bishops who chair committees for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that attempts to create a vaccine for COVID-19 respect appropriate moral limits. Particularly, the USCCB requested that the FDA ensure that any vaccine that is developed not use cells cultivated from aborted children. The Christ Medicus Foundation signed on to the Bishops’ letter along with other life affirming organizations across the country.

“Ethically working for a COVID-19 vaccine is an important and urgent service to the common good,” said Michael Vacca, J.D., Director of Ministry, Bioethics, and Member Experience for the Christ Medicus Foundation. “However, some proposed solutions are unethical, such as utilizing cells from unborn babies. Such an ends-justifies-any-means approach would be a tragic mistake.  The dignity of unborn aborted children demands that they be given a proper burial and not used to further scientific research,” continued Mr. Vacca.            

The Christ Medicus Foundation joins the USCCB in insisting that any COVID-19 vaccine must be ethically obtained.

Jordan Buzza J.D., Director of CMF CURO, stated, “In the important race to combat this virus, no aborted cells should be utilized in any form to create a vaccine. The American people should not have to choose between protecting themselves from a potentially deadly virus and violating their conscience. Thankfully, cell lines or processes that do not involve cells from abortions are available and are regularly being used to create vaccines.”

With gratitude for scientists working to protect the American public, the Christ Medicus Foundation is cognizant that now is an opportune time to reaffirm our respect for the dignity of every person and that we are stronger when we collectively refuse to violate the rights of any single human person, whether in the womb or whether elderly.  Protecting the rights of each and every human person is a moral necessity. The Christ Medicus Foundation urges the FDA to ensure that the development of a COVID-19 vaccine is morally obtained and widely available to the American public.