IS THERE A MORAL OBLIGATION TO BE VACCINATED? SHOULD IT BE MANDATED?

 

IS THERE A MORAL OBLIGATION TO BE VACCINATED?  SHOULD IT BE MANDATED?

            The great majority of scientists and physicians recommend one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines for most adults.  The consensus of medical science, it seems to me, should be the first place to start when considering whether-or-not to be vaccinated.  Getting our information from reputable sources, which have passed peer review by independent experts, will allow us to consider the advantages and risks of being vaccinated.  But neither the medical experts, nor the head of the CDC, nor any politician or talking head, has the competency to decide what is morally obligatory. 

The Church is our teacher in faith and morals and has the competency to determine whether a particular treatment or procedure is morally acceptable.  So that the faithful are not led astray, the Church has declared some procedures to be impermissible, no matter what the circumstances.  For example, organ harvesting, physician-assisted suicide, and direct sterilization.  In most cases, however, the rightness or wrongness of a particular medical procedure or treatment needs to be discerned in context.  What is the purpose of it?  What are the potential benefits and harms to the patient?  Is it necessary or elective?  Are the costs overly burdensome?  What will be the permanent effects?  How will this affect the patient’s ability to fulfill his or her responsibilities towards others?  Any moral evaluation needs to consider these questions.  But the final decision about a treatment or procedure, by its nature, will be subjective since it will be made by the patient.  And if the patient rejects it, it would be immoral to impose it on him or her.              

            Catholics are obligated to always respect the integrity of their body and to promote its well-being.  It is immoral to neglect or mistreat the body or permanently impede a natural bodily function without a grave reason.  In most circumstances we are obliged by natural and divine law to accept ordinary care and treatment.  An excellent definition of ordinary means is provided by Jesuit Father Gerard Kelly: “Ordinary means are all medicines, treatments and operations which offer a reasonable hope of benefit and which can be obtained and used without excessive expense, pain or other inconvenience.”  If we accept the judgment of the medical community that the various COVID-19 vaccines are effective, with no significant side effects, then we accept that they fall within the category of ordinary means.  Does that mean there is a moral obligation to be vaccinated?  No. 

I do not believe that being vaccinated is a moral necessity.  A vaccine is a preventative measure; it is not a treatment for disease.  Once a person is infected, he or she is morally obligated to use ordinary means to fight the virus and survive.  People cannot be obligated, however, to take every possible measure to prevent harm to themselves or others.  The possibility that a vaccine could prevent infection or the passing on of a virus to another person does not, of itself, oblige one to get it.  Otherwise, we would be morally obligated to get the flu shot every year.  Nevertheless, the possible good that it might do for society should be considered.  “Receiving one of the COVID-19 vaccines ought to be understood as an act of charity toward the other members of our community.  In this way, 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” (statement by U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops).  Many healthy people who have little to fear from the virus have chosen to be vaccinated not to protect themselves but to protect others.       

In facing a difficult medical decision Catholics should get advice from their physician, learn all the facts they can, speak to loved ones about it, and if they have a concern about its moral dimension, they should consult their priest, deacon, or a lay person with competence in Catholic moral theology.  Finally, a patient must make a prudential judgment that accords with his or her conscience.  This decision should be respected.  For this reason, I believe that it would constitute a violation of human rights if the government were to mandate the vaccine.  As for me, I chose to be vaccinated so that I would not be inhibited from visiting the sick.  But I will always defend the right of people to make their own prudential health care decisions without coercion, even during a pandemic. 

 

 FATHER SCOTT