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Catholic Church warns of possible link to abortion in Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine

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Posted at 9:21 PM, Mar 02, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-03 02:55:52-05

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Leaders in the Catholic Church in two major U.S. cities are now warning parishioners that they should think twice before getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine over possible links to abortion.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans says that the vaccine is produced using a cell line that’s derived from an aborted fetus.

Amid these concerns, Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday that there is no fetal tissue in their vaccine.

The church’s concern is that an abortion-derived cell line is used in its production, and Johnson & Johnson is not arguing that.

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“The original cell that might have come from an aborted fetus, I understand why people are concerned, but that doesn’t go anywhere near the vaccine,” said Dr. Daliah Wachs.

In short, HEK293 cells which are used for COVID-19 vaccines originated from a fetus that was aborted decades ago.

However, those cells now are not the original tissues used, as they are clones.

“Many cells when we try to grow and try to test thing on they end up dying, they divide and at some point, they die, but these are immortal,” said Dr. Wachs.

Dr. Wachs says what does frighten some people is that many medical advances use these cells, which may have originated from that aborted fetus.

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13 Action News reached out to the Diocese of Las Vegas regarding these developments.

A representative referred our request to a posting on their website, which was a December 2020 statement from the U.S Bishop Chairman for Pro-Life and Doctrine Kevin Rhoades.

He said the acceptance of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are “sufficiently serious to justify their use, despite their remote connection to morally compromised cell lines.”

Bishop Rhoades went on to say if there’s any concern over getting the vaccine that “being vaccinated safely against COVID-19 should be considered an act of love of our neighbor and part of our moral responsibility for the common good.”

13 Action News also asked the Diocese of Las Vegas on Tuesday for a specific response to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine woes, but there was nothing further.