Is there a moral obligation to get vaccinated?

A friend emailed, "Is getting the COVID-19 vaccine a moral obligation?"  He also said, "I  am not willing to risk my family with the side effects, given the limited knowledge that I have  about it."  

REPLY: This is my opinion and not a dogma, since there are no dogmas in temporal matters. 

First off, the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith has stated: "vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation and that, therefore, it must be voluntary. In any case, from the ethical point of view, the morality of vaccination depends not only on the duty to protect one's own health, but also on the duty to pursue the common good. In the absence of other means to stop or even prevent the epidemic, the common good may recommend vaccination, especially to protect the weakest and most exposed."

This duty to help end the pandemic becomes even more acute once we realize that it is causing harm to millions, not just as a cause of sickness and death, but also as a cause of extreme poverty, undernourishment, mental illness, deficient education, etc. 

Authorities are in agreement

This is one of the reasons why both civil and ecclesiastical authorities agree that people have to get vaccinated. A month after the CDF statement, the Pope himself said: "Morally everyone must take the vaccine. It is the moral choice because it is about your life but also the lives of others.” 

While he was not talking ex cathedra, still he was speaking as the Vicar of Christ.  And to the Pope, we owe, said St. Josemaria, "the most complete obedience." Remember that Jesus told Peter that whatever he binds on earth is bound in heaven. Bishops who are also "vicars of Christ," and bishops conferences, have echoed the need to be vaccinated. 

Why obey?

From the above, I personally feel a duty of obedience--a virtue that I love because as a theologian I know from the Bible that we are all saved due to the obedience of one man and one woman vs. the disobedience of one man and one woman. We share in this co-redemption as other Christs by obeying God's representatives: all persons in authority. 

Obedience--free, voluntary and intelligent--is the greatest moral virtue, according to St. Thomas, because our will is the greatest thing we can offer to God. It is, says Benedict XVI, the authentic content of love--the most important virtue of all, that by which we are going to be judged. 

Still, we obey not just because of our faith, but because it is reasonable to obey the authorities. All persons in authority, civil and ecclesiastical, are ordinarily supported by the best experts within that community. The governments in the whole world, which are unanimous in calling for vaccinations, are advised by the top medical experts of the world. These top medical experts, the brightest in each country, have spent their entire lives studying these matters, unlike us who get to spend a part of our time checking what the internet says. They have studied all the aspects of the vaccines, their safety and effectiveness as against other possible solutions. The Roman Curia which advises the pope also has the best minds in the whole Church. 

This is the great boon we enjoy--as compared to the three magi who had to seek the advice of Herod and his advisers. And despite Herod's depravity, he and his advisers gave the right advice because they were the competent authorities. 

Studying the millions of people who have been vaccinated and those who were not, the competent medical authorities say that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks. 

Infodemic and the search for true information

Part of the problem of the pandemic is the "infodemic." That is why it is very important to look for the most reliable sources of information and keep on reading them: WHO, CDC, Mayo Clinic, John Hopkins, Harvard, etc. Take note that the latter--hospitals and universities--have independent funding, so they are not beholden to "Big Pharma." 

This infodemic makes it difficult to practice the virtue of prudence--the real cause of virtue. That's why the Catechism tells us to get "the advice of competent people," in order to make good decisions. The truth sets us free, while falsehood--which abounds at this moment--can throw us off the right path. 

You are free to discern your own case

Here I am speaking of general ethical principles that I personally follow. Still, St. Thomas teaches, a teaching reiterated by Pope Francis in Amoris Laetitia: “Although there is necessity in the general principles, the more we descend to matters of detail, the more frequently we encounter defects…  In matters of action, truth or practical rectitude is not the same for all.” 

The general principles above will apply differently to each person, because each person's particular circumstances--allergies, medical background, etc--are unique. So you have to freely discern what God is telling him to do through your own conscience.  

Anyway, I repeat that this is my reasoned opinion and I respect others who think differently. 

Danger of Covid and the safety of vaccines: high-risk vs. low risk

My friend replied: Someone commented, "It is easy to say 'the benefits outweigh the risks.... until it is your own child who is the casualty"... I thought: "What if St. Joseph was living in this day and age... would he have risked Mama Mary and the baby Jesus with the COVID vaccines?" For me the answer was "No, he would not risk Mama Mary and/or the baby Jesus even if the risk is 'very low'."  

REPLY: Since your main issue seems to be about not taking any risks, and you rightly choose St. Joseph as your model, here are some more considerations: 

St. Joseph also had to make a choice between a high-risk ruler, Archelaus in Judea and a low-risk ruler, his brother, Herod Antipas in Galilee, who would later kill St. John Baptist, and support the death of Jesus himself. Both were sons of the cruel Herod the Great who killed the innocents to stay in power. They were bad fruits of the same bad tree. 

To make that choice he had to get the facts, and the facts he gathered showed that Archelaus was really someone to fear: a tyrant and oppressor. Because St. Joseph was told to return to a place in Israel, he still proceeded even if there was some risk; so his preference was for the lower risk. This preference of avoiding high-risk Archelaus and choosing low-risk Antipas was later confirmed by an angel. 

Weighing the risks

Now re risks of dying of Covid vs dying of vaccine complications, please take these facts into account: 

• Unvaccinated individuals are 11 times more likely to die from Covid-19 - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/unvaccinated-individuals-are-11-times-more-likely-to-die-from-covid-19-than-those-who-are-vaccinated-180978714/
• Nearly all COVID deaths in US are now among unvaccinated - https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-941fcf43d9731c76c16e7354f5d5e187
• Deaths due to vaccine complications are rare, and clotting due vaccines can now be cured - https://covid-101.org/science/how-many-people-have-died-from-the-vaccine-in-the-u-s/
• With the best science available, the WHO and the CDC have declared vaccines safe and effective. Billions have been vaccinated under intense scrutiny - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/safety-of-vaccines.html 

There are always risks in life since life is a series of choices. And so we have to study the facts with prudence, and practice the virtue of courage--choosing the right thing despite the risks. In the case of vaccines, the best experts have declared that there is hardly any risk, because the vaccines are not only effective but safe. 

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Note on the psychology behind Conspiracy Theories

The infodemic that worsens the pandemic is bolstered by a number who love conspiracy theories. I would suggest that all of us study the science that explains the psychology behind the belief in conspiracy theories, here in the psychological research at the American Pschological Association and in the Addiction Center's article on Conspiracy Theory Addiction.

In a nutshell, there are three psychological factors that motivate people drawn to conspiracy theories: 

1. Epistemic motive: the need for knowledge and certainty during a time of uncertainty, and they don't know where to look for reliable sources; 
2. Existential motive: The need to feel safe and secure, for they feel disillusioned, powerless and not in control; 
3. Social motive: the desire to feel good and have a high self-esteem, together with the need to stand out, having information that others don't have. Some studies have associated this tendency with narcissism--an inflated sense of importance of the individual or the group. 

There are also articles on How to Talk to Loved Ones who are Victims of Conspiracy Theories, here and here. 

For a deeper discussion of conspiracy theory addiction and today's heresy of Gnosticism, please see this article: Beware of Today's Gnostic Heresy and the Addiction to Conspiracy Theories.