Countries across the globe are rushing to make a vaccine that promises to protect the world from COVID-19. But at what cost?
Some of the vaccines in trial have been under considerable scrutiny. One concern is how quickly the vaccines are being created, as rushing vaccine trials has been shown to be more harmful than protective. Still, a vaccine is said to be distributed as early as January 2021. Another concern, mostly among Christians, is the use of aborted fetal cells in several of these vaccines.
Aborted fetal cells have been used to create the most commonly administered vaccines; mumps, measles, and rubella (MMR), hepatitis A, and chickenpox vaccines, to name a few. There are many Christians across the country who refuse to vaccinate solely because of this fact. It can be argued that no Christian should want to be injected with vaccines that are derived from aborted fetal cells, as this ultimately goes against pro-life values. Christian morals tell us to acknowledge that the unborn should never be killed, and using aborted fetal cells to create vaccines wrongly exploits them, no matter how old the cell line is or how much the cell lines have evolved.
The main argument for the use of aborted fetal cells is that it is safer to use human DNA for vaccine creation rather than animal cells. While this may be true, there are other ways to create safe vaccines. Some vaccines, for example, have been derived from tumor cell lines. The “HeLa” line is one such cell line, derived from the tumor of a woman named Henrietta Lacks who was dying from cervical cancer in 1951. These cells were found to reproduce indefinitely, and currently there are about 20 tons of these cells. While Lacks’ family was not compensated for this achievement, it is still far more immoral to use cell lines derived from murdered fetuses than from the tumors of dying patients. Vaccines derived from adult stem cell lines have also been proven to be successful.
There are currently five COVID-19 vaccines that are derived from aborted fetal cell lines. Two of them have entered human trials. The United States Conference of Bishops states that, “No American should be forced to choose between being vaccinated against this potentially deadly virus and violating his or her conscience.” Indeed, our safety should not be compromised because of our morals. We must push for an effective vaccine that does not promote the use of aborted fetal cells.
At the center of Christianity is the idea that all life is good; that we should protect all lives, especially the most vulnerable. We must keep our moral compasses aligned and demand what is best for the future of humanity--both the born and the unborn. It is imperative that we educate our fellow Christians and non-Christians about the creation of vaccines, as many do not know that some vaccines are derived from aborted fetal cell lines. To use the cell lines of murdered lives in vaccines is an insult to humanity. As long as there are alternatives to creating safe and effective vaccines, there is no need for the use of aborted fetal cell lines.
