Children of God for Life

In a recent letter from one of our supporters, the Center for Disease Control responded to the person's concerns about the use of aborted fetal tissue in vaccines with erroneous information.  Children of God for Life was quick to respond:  Following are the CDC comments (in red) and our response (in blue).

Comments:

1) A few vaccines cannot be made from animal cell lines.

FACT:  Every vaccine on the US market that utilizes aborted fetal tissue in production can be made from other sources.  The Japanese have already proved it with their alternatives, as did Acambis with their dual versions of the smallpox vaccine.

2) The abortions were not done with the purpose of obtaining tissue for vaccine production.

FACT:  The abortions done during the rubella epidemic of 1964 were absolutely done with the full intention of isolating the virus to produce the vaccine.  The virus itself, RA273 (R=rubella, A=abortus, 27=27^th tissue tested, 3=3^rd tissue explanted) proves that Wistar Institute collaborated with the abortionists to collect the fetal tissue in a controlled study group.  There were already three perfectly good rubella vaccines on the market, which are in fact, still licensed for use in the US, but no longer in production. (HPV-77, which was cultivated on a duck embryo; HPV-77, cultivated on a dog kidney; and Cendehill, grown on a rabbit kidney.)

3) No new fetal tissue is or will be needed to develop the cell lines that are required to produce these vaccines.

FACT:  The cell lines are not immortal, meaning they will die off and eventually must be replaced with either new fetal tissue or another source (Scientific fact called the Hayflick limit  proved by the very man who worked with these fetal cell lines in the 1960’s)

FACT 2:  So why are pharmacists seeking the new fetal cell line PER C6 for their vaccine production?  This cell line has been modified with AD5 – which is supposed to provide immortality – but it also is known to introduce carcinogenics.  Again,  Hayflick’s work proved these theories years ago.

4) Tissue cells are not present in actual doses of the vaccines.

FACT:  Read the product inserts which state:

Hepatitis-A: “Residual MRC5 cellular proteins (not more than 5 mcg/adult dose) and traces of formalin (not more than 0.1 mg/mL) are present.”  

Chickenpox:  “Each 0.5 mL dose contains residual components of MRC-5 cells including DNA and protein;

MMR:  “M-M-R II is a sterile lyophilized preparation of ....the Wistar RA 27/3 strain of live attenuated rubella virus propagated in WI-38 human diploid lung fibroblasts.”

5) Religious and ethical scholars have studied this issue and have concluded it is acceptable for people to receive vaccines that initially used aborted fetal tissue.  They feel that because no new fetal tissue is necessary, people receiving these vaccines are not condoning abortion or encouraging further abortions.

FACT:  Not ALL religious and ethical scholars agree on this issue.  Many have stated the exact opposite opinion. (See Ethics Arguments)

FACT 2:  Further fetal tissue WILL be necessary at some point – a fact that the ethicists did not know when those statements were made. 

FACT 3:  “Encouraging abortion” is not the issue here, though it cannot be ruled out as impossible.  The use of the vaccines absolutely does encourage further aborted fetal tissue research, which is condemned by the Catholic Church, moral theologians and ethicists.  In addition, see the notes below from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals case that ruled "fetal tissue research is necessary in order to protect women's reproductive rights".

9th Circuit Court of Appeals' April 11, 2001, decision in Forbes v. Napolitano. In this case, the court referred to the popularity of the polio vaccine, among other things, in order to nullify a state law prohibiting experimentation on aborted fetal tissue. The court's decision specifically ruled that fetal tissue research must be legal in order to guarantee women the fullest possible range of "reproductive decisions." 

The court, in other words, affirms here the necessary and logical connection between the use of vaccines manufactured from aborted fetal tissue, fetal tissue research and legalized abortion:

"Roe v. Wade held that the constitutional right to personal privacy encompasses a woman's decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy. Roe and its progeny established that the pregnant woman has a right to be free from state interference with her choice to have an abortion. These cases do not hold that the State is under an affirmative obligation to ensure access to abortions for all who may desire them. Rather they require that the State refrain from wielding its power and influence in a manner that might burden the pregnant woman's freedom to choose whether to have an abortion.

A prohibition on aborted fetal tissue research could burden the rights of women and couples to make both present and future reproductive choices. … Experimentation on aborted fetal tissue may foster the development of reproductive technology that is related to reproductive decisions. Governmental restrictions on reproductive decisions are only justifiable given compelling state interests. Carey v. Population Services Int'l , 431 U.S. 678, 688 (1977). "