[ti:US Catholic Clergy Concerned over Morality of a COVID-19 Vaccine] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released a statement this week [00:06.12]about the recently approved COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson. [00:12.40]It said American Catholics should avoid getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine if possible, [00:20.88]but that it is "morally acceptable" to receive it if no other choice is available. [00:28.76]The statement came days after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [00:33.72]approved Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine for emergency use against COVID-19. [00:42.84]The emergency approval gave Americans a third vaccine [00:47.56]to protect against the new coronavirus. [00:51.32]The Catholic clergy said on March 2 [00:55.16]that the approval raised questions about the morality [00:59.20]of "using vaccines developed, tested, and/or produced [01:05.04]with the help of abortion-derived cell lines." [01:09.64]Abortion is a medical operation that ends the life of a human fetus. [01:17.08]The clergy said that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine "was developed, [01:23.28]tested and is produced with abortion-derived cell lines [01:28.80]raising additional moral concerns." [01:33.04]They noted that Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines [01:37.08]used abortion-derived cell lines "for testing them, [01:42.28]but not in their production." [01:45.52]The statement came although Johnson & Johnson said [01:49.80]"there is no fetal tissue in the vaccine." [01:53.84]The clergy's comment re-started a debate among American Catholics [01:59.24]over which COVID-19 vaccine to use or whether to get vaccinated at all. [02:07.72]Last December, the Vatican said "it is morally acceptable [02:14.04]to receive Covid-19 vaccines that have used cell lines [02:19.56]from aborted fetuses in their research and production process." [02:24.76]However, it said that is the case "when [02:29.36]ethically irreproachable COVID-19 vaccines are not available." [02:36.80]The Vatican did not name any vaccine in its statement. [02:40.96]At the time, only two COVID-19 vaccines, [02:46.08]from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, were approved by the FDA [02:52.12]and other European health agencies for emergency use. [02:58.32]Pope Francis received his first shot of the Pfizer vaccine in January. [03:05.20]He said taking a vaccine was "an ethical action" [03:10.52]because it involved the lives of others as well as one's own. [03:16.80]The Vatican also announced in February that any Vatican employee [03:23.44]who refuses to get a coronavirus shot [03:26.88]without a medical reason could be fired. [03:31.24]On Tuesday, the American clergy said [03:35.20]that "if one has the ability to choose a vaccine, [03:38.92]Pfizer or Moderna's vaccines should be chosen over Johnson & Johnson's." [03:46.24]On the same day, U.S. President Joe Biden announced [03:51.52]that American drug-maker Merck [03:54.60]will help produce the newly-approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine. [04:01.36]Biden is the second American Catholic president and known for his faith. [04:08.84]He said he wanted "to have enough vaccine supply [04:13.48]for every adult in America by the end of May." [04:19.44]Bishop Robert McElroy is head [04:23.20]of the large Catholic Diocese of San Diego in California. [04:29.56]He talked about the vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, [04:33.64]Johnson & Johnson and the one awaiting approval from AstraZeneca. [04:40.00]The Catholic official said, "it is entirely morally legitimate [04:46.12]to receive any of these four vaccines, and to recognize, [04:52.80]as Pope Francis has noted, that in receiving them [04:58.08]we are truly showing love for our neighbor and our God." [05:04.92]Americans, however, may have no choice. [05:08.84]People are generally offered vaccines as they become available. [05:14.60]Additionally, the Johnson & Johnson single shot [05:19.72]can be stored at normal refrigeration temperature [05:23.96]making it easier for vaccination. [05:27.44]The two-shot vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna [05:33.36]require extremely cold storage. [05:37.76]I'm Dan Friedell. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM