February 3, 2021

So, the Covid-19 vaccine is out. In fact, several of them are out. Will you get one? Should you get one? A recent poll said that 41% said they would as soon as possible, 31% said wait and see how it works, and 13% said, "No way."

Is getting the Covid-19 vaccine a political issue, moral issue, religious issue, personal issue, all of the above, or a combination of some of the above? Well, it feels like a political issue when the government is involved; and the government is certainly involved. Moral? Religious? Ah, now there is something to consider. Here is an angle you may not have thought about.

We believe that life begins at conception, and therefore, when a pre-born baby’s life is willfully terminated through abortion, we consider that to be murder. You may be aware that researchers have used cells that were originally isolated from fetal tissue (generally called fetal cells) in some of the stages of vaccine development. This has been the case for hepatitis A, rubella, and rabies. In some cases, those original cells were used to create stem cell lines that researchers can continue to use. In other words, vaccine researchers can use cells that did not come directly from a fetus, but cells that were derived from a line of cells that originally did.

Side note: Researchers can get wonderfully useful stem cells from umbilical cords and completely avoid using stem cells from aborted babies.

If you knew that you were getting a vaccine that was developed from stem cells of an aborted child, would that be a problem for you? Yes. If you knew that you were getting a vaccine that was developed from a line of stem cells that originally came from an aborted child, but were not now directly from that fetus, would that be a problem for you? I’m thinking that would still be a problem for you. It is for me. But, if you had a choice between an effective vaccine that did not come from stem cells of an aborted child, or one that was derived in some fashion from an aborted fetus, I am certain that we would all choose the former.

There are several vaccines that are out. Right now, the ones that are being used around here have come from Moderna and Pfizer. I am grateful that both of them were found to be ethically uncontroversial by the pro-life policy organization, the Charlotte Lozier Institute. Neither of the vaccines produced by these companies required the use of any fetal cell cultures.

I found this information to be very helpful for me. At some point, I may have the opportunity to get the vaccine, and I see the options of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines as a personal decision, not a moral or religious one.

Grace, peace, and life!

Bob