Replies

It means they’re either ignorant of how these vaccines were developed or are intentionally trying to mislead you.

Some vaccines use fetal stem cell lines that are derived from cells taken after abortions in the 1970s to do research and testing. They’re generally used for culturing (producing additional copies of a virus) and testing various components of a new vaccine. The mRNA vaccines don’t require any of this. They’re just a strip of mRNA encased in a lipid shell. There’s nothing to grow anymore.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are listed by the Charlotte Lazier Institute (pro-life group based in Virginia) as “ethically uncontroversial”: https://s27589.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/An-Ethics-Assessment-of-COVID-19-Vaccine-Programs_On-Point-46.pdf. Further, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops released a memorandum specifically stating that “Neither the Pfizer nor the Moderna vaccine involved the use of cell lines that originated in fetal tissue taken from the body of an aborted baby at any level of design, development, or production.” (https://www.usccb.org/resources/memo-to-bishops-on-vaccines-for-covid-19.pdf)

There is a caveat to that which is that a subcontractor for both Pfizer and Moderna did use fetal stem cells AFTER the vaccines were produced in order to do independent testing to confirm the results those companies had already produced. However, that USCCB memo goes on to state that “Some are asserting that if a vaccine is connected in any way with tainted cell lines then it is immoral to be vaccinated with them. This is an inaccurate portrayal ofCatholic moral teaching.”