Ethical vaccines on the way

Briefing. Currently many vaccines, most famously the Rubella vaccine, are produced using tissue from aborted babies. Using such vaccines is a material cooperation in the evil of abortion, which can be justified if there is 'grave inconvenience' in avoiding such cooperation. Such cooperation, even if justified, places us under an obligation to seek alternatives, and Children of God for Life are to be congratulated on their successful campaign. There is absolutely no reason for the manufacturers to use this tissue; for them it simply a matter of convenience. Catholics will be obliged to use this alternative as soon as it becomes available. See the useful document from the Pontifical Academy for Life.

From CFNews: In a victory for pro-life families around the world, AVM Biotechnology LLC (AVM Biotech) have announced their decision to provide ethical alternatives in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and vaccine development. Dr Theresa Deisher, AVM Biotech Research and Development Director and founder stated, 'We will be working to bring commercially available, morally acceptable, vaccines to the US market and to use existing technology to produce new morally certified vaccines. Revenues from the vaccine business will also further the research, development and commercialization of morally certified therapeutics in other areas of medicine as well.'

The announcement was an answer to years of hard work and prayers for Children of God for Life, a pro-life organization that has battled to bring moral alternatives to aborted fetal vaccines to the US market for nearly a decade. 'There are no words sufficient to express our deepest gratitude to Dr Deisher and AVM Biotech', noted the group's Executive Director, Debi Vinnedge, who was also named to AVM Biotech's Advisory Board for vaccine development. While most vaccines and medicines are produced in an ethical manner, several are manufactured using cell lines derived from aborted fetal tissue with no competing ethical products available. Vinnedge noted this has left concerned pro-life families in both a difficult and unjust position. 'For too long parents who want to protect their children without compromising their deeply held pro-life and religious beliefs have been coerced into an unnecessary and unjust moral dilemma,' she stated.

'No one should be forced to choose between these two fundamental human rights.' Both organizations hope that the news will spark members of Congress to move forward with their Fair Labeling and Informed Consent legislation, a bill that would require full disclosure from the pharmaceutical industry whenever aborted fetal or embryonic cell lines are used in medical products. 'Every consumer, whether pro-life in philosophy or not, has the right to know if human fetal cell contaminants are present in the drugs they receive', noted Dr Deisher. 'Consumers should be informed and empowered to make the best health care choices for themselves and their families. Surely, if we have the right to know what is in our fast food, we should also have the right to know what is in our medicine.' AVM Biotech intends to further assist in this effort by certifying that its therapeutic products are not discovered, screened, evaluated, produced, or tainted in any way by the use of electively aborted human fetal material, human embryonic material, or any other unethically obtained materials.

Dr Treloar, vice president of the National Association of Catholic Families, comments: 'Many parents really do object to their children being given a vaccine derived from a child who was killed, and at last a vaccine that many parents would find ethical will be a real step forward for their children'. [Doctors.net.uk education]