Perhaps no blog has stirred the hearts of readers like the second in our Industry of Death series which reported on the source of most commonly issued vaccines for children—aborted babies’ cells. Part of the fetal research industry financial benefit has been vaccine development, and before Roe V. Wade hit our nation, the cells of aborted babies were already being used in vaccines.
The horror of this reality has caused both total strangers and close friends alike to contact me about this issue, asking for help, asking what to do. Of course, I can’t tell anyone what to do with such an intense and high-stakes decision. We all want children safe from disease but we don’t want to use abortion as the route to that safety. What a horrible situation for a pro-life parent. All I can do is research and give the information that maybe you won’t hear in another place so you can make an informed decision.
Here’s what we do know about fetal cells used in vaccines: Most vaccines are grown from human diploid cells (HDCS); “HDCS refers to groups of human diploid cell strains that maintain normal human chromosomal numbers and characteristics, while dividing throughout their limited lifetime in a laboratory setting” (Evans 44). According to the National Network of Immunization Information:
Two different strains of human diploid cell cultures made from fetuses have been used extensively for vaccine production for decades. One was developed in the United States in 1961 (called WI-38) and the other in the United Kingdom in 1966 (called MRC-5).WI-38 came from lung cells from a female fetus of 3-months gestation and MRC-5 was developed from lung cells from a 14-week-old male fetus. Both fetuses were intentionally aborted, but neither was aborted for the purpose of obtaining diploid cells… The fetal tissues that eventually became WI-38 and the MRC-5 cell cultures were removed from fetuses that were dead. The cellular biologists who made the cell cultures did not induce the abortions. (Source)
While babies were not aborted for the purpose of creating the vaccines, there still exists a concern that we are injecting our children with something that exists because of abortion. The Catholic Medical Association reflects on this dilemma and echoes the “Moral Reflections on Vaccines Prepared from Cells Derived from Aborted Human Foetuses,” Pontifical Academy for Life, June 2005 which says that they “oppose by all means the vaccines which do not yet have morally acceptable alternatives, creating pressure so that alternative vaccines are prepared.”
There’s great return off of one abortion. Evans notes that “One fetus can be the source of a cell strain with a potential yield of about 20 million metric tons (wet weight) of cells, which can be stored frozen for many years… In addition, aborted fetuses and/or their organs are seemingly easy to obtain, and the cost of tissue procurement is negligible.” (Evans 45)
This has led to more research including for some disturbing reasons. Evans discusses recent and current research on PER.C6 which was originally formulated to be used in researching gene therapies and later stepped up to the vaccine manufacturing business as well. Dutch biopharmaceutical company Crucell N.V. pioneered this technology which claims it is a powerful agent to be used in developing many vaccines and other biotechnological helps for society.
Indeed, a look at Crucell’s press releases on its website will net you all sorts of information on innovative developments from PER.C6., including partnerships with UNICEF, other companies, and multitudes of connections to expand its research. Remember, when you are reading PER.C6 technology, you are reading “aborted baby.”
A disturbing comment arises from one of the PER.C6 researchers, Alex J. Van Der Eb, Ph.D. as he explained his research to a Food and Drug Administration vaccine advisory committee in 2001:
"So I isolated retina from a fetus, from a healthy fetus as far as could be seen, of 18 weeks old. There was nothing special with a family history or the pregnancy was completely normal up to the 18 weeks, and it turned out to be a socially indicated abortus – abortus provocatus, and that was simply because the woman wanted to get rid of the fetus." (Source, p. 91, lines 14-20)
PER.C6 was eventually licensed to many companies, including Merck, who manufactures a majority of the vaccines given today containing human fetal cells. This same line of research, Evan’s reports, was sold to multiple companies, such as Vaxin, in Alabama, which announced it would use it to develop an anthrax vaccine and a vaccine against the flu, among others (Evans 48). She adds that “Vaxin has been awarded over $10 million in federal funds for research and development on the PER.C6 line” and goes on to describe details of other huge amounts of funding from federal agencies for PER.C6 research, as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. For more detailed explanations of this read Evan’s thesis pages 47-50. Again, we see government funding for research that involves aborted babies. PER.C6 has received many more federal funds for research on new vaccines.
Crucell reports that in 2006, the Crucell and DSM Biologics alliance opened the PER.C6Development Center in Cambridge, MA. And, in fact, this company in MA makes no bones about its research as its webpage announces it is working with human cell lines.
You can find out more about current vaccine research form aborted babies here.
It seems that the original vaccines on some diseases, which were made from aborted babies, launched into a more robust field of research. It makes a sick sort of sense. These vaccines have proven effective; we have legalized abortion. Two plus two equals a gold mine for the pharmaceutical industry.
One might feel trapped reading this monopoly on vaccines and big money, but there are always alternatives and options that can be considered.
Next up, I’ll look at some of the debate about alterative vaccinations and what you can do if you want more information on this.
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