Westen told CNA, “Our best guess is that the channel was taken down for our frank and factual discussion of the controversy around abortion-tainted medicines and vaccines. The origins of these vaccines and their association with abortion is acknowledged by the vast majority of scientists. Prior strikes were given for speaking the truth about COVID lockdowns and the presence of aborted fetal cells in the vaccines.”
“It is widely known that the COVID-19 vaccine has, directly and indirectly, relied on cells taken from aborted babies,” said Westen.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in a Dec. 11 statement said that Catholics can ethically take two of the three available COVID-19 vaccines, those produced by Pfizer and Moderna. They were developed with only a “remote connection” to “morally compromised” cell lines during the testing phase, as is common in many modern medicines.
The vaccine produced by AstraZeneca “should be avoided if there are alternatives available,” said the bishops, as this vaccine is “more morally compromised.” However, they said it is even morally permissible in some circumstances to receive this “more morally compromised” AstraZeneca vaccine, developed in close connection with aborted cell lines. They emphasized that Catholics cannot allow the pandemic to “desensitize” or “weaken our determination” to oppose the evil of abortion.
The concern centers on the use of the cell line HEK293, derived from a human embryonic kidney. In 1972, a female child was aborted in the Netherlands, and cells were originally extracted and developed from her kidney. Cells from the HEK293 line have been commonly used in biologic research since the late 1970s.
Westen claimed LifeSiteNews’ sources are sound.
“We have quoted a variety of bioethicists who are at the top of their fields,” he told CNA. “Three leading churchmen who have been exposing the truth about COVID-19 on our site are Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, Bishop Athanasius Schneider, and Bishop Joseph Strickland.”
In May 2020, Vigano, a former apostolic nuncio to the U.S., published an open letter claiming that the coronavirus pandemic had been exaggerated to foster widespread social panic and undercut freedom, as a willful preparation for the establishment of a one-world government.
LifeSiteNews was banned from Twitter for its reporting on a Canadian transgender activist who is biologically male but identifies as a woman. Westen said the website would endure.
“Just like when we were barred from Twitter for calling a biological male a male, we will continue to speak the truth and will not give in to the threats of Big Tech and the censors who wish to remove inconvenient truths form the public square,” Westen told CNA. “We are also taking legal steps too of course, so we would appreciate prayers and any support.”
Last month, Catholic World Report was suspended from Twitter after it posted a link to a Catholic News Agency story hosted on its own website. The Twitter post, citing the CNA story, described a Biden appointee as a biological male who identifies as a transgender woman. Twitter later said the suspension was in error.
As for Google’s misinformation policy, it also bans “videos claiming that the COVID-19 vaccine will contain fetal tissue.” It also bars content that disputes the efficacy of health authorities’ guidance on “physical distancing or self-isolation measures to reduce transmission of COVID-19.”
LifeSiteNews syndicates material from Children’s Health Defense, founded by vaccine critic Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Kennedy was banned from the Facebook-owned Instagram Feb. 10 for “repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines,” a Facebook spokesperson said. The social media giant announced a new plan to combat vaccine misinformation on Feb. 8, CNN reports.
A Feb. 5 LifeSiteNews story said that Mother Miriam of the Lamb of God, a Benedictine Prioress and host of a LifeSiteNews show, had been “censored by YouTube after posting a video on the dangers of Covid-19 vaccines.” YouTube on Feb. 4 had removed a video on her own channel in which she contended that Covid-19 was “being used to control the population with lies.”
The Catholic News Agency (CNA) Staff are a team of journalists dedicated to reporting news concerning the Catholic Church around the world. Our bureaus are located in Denver, Washington, and Rome. We have sister language agencies in Kenya, Germany, Peru, Brazil, and Italy. CNA is a service of EWTN News. You can contact us at news@catholicna.com with questions.