All you need to know about vaccines

DEAR DR. ROACH >> Your recent article was pro-vaccination. I also have been pro-vaccination until recently, when my daughter brought to my attention that the vast majority of vaccines are made with aborted fetal tissue. I checked and found this to be the truth. I am appalled that this fact is not publicized and that I have had vaccines made with aborted fetal tissue. That I have unintentionally participated in the murder of innocent children through vaccination is a betrayal of my trust in the medical profession and my personal faith. You may find that this is the major reason for the decline in vaccination rates. There should be an informed consent before any vaccination occurs with the option of being vaccinated with a serum that is not contaminated with fetal tissue. — J.G. DEAR READER >> In July 1962, a pregnant woman was exposed to rubella, and underwent a therapeutic abortion given the high likelihood of severe fetal damage. The cells from this fetus (called WI-38, for the Wistar Institute) were used, and continue to be used, to produce the rubella vaccine, which requires a cell line. From this one fetus, over 300 million doses of rubella vaccine have been produced. It is certainly not the case that production of the vaccine requires any additional abortions, nor has there ever been fetal tissue in any vaccine, as vaccines are purified extensively.

The National Catholic Bioethics Center wrote an opinion, which states:

“One is morally free to use the vaccine regardless of its historical association with abortion. The reason is that the risk to public health, if one chooses not to vaccinate, outweighs the legitimate concern about the origins of the vaccine. This is especially important for parents, who have a moral obligation to protect the life and health of their children and those around them.”

From one family’s tragedy came cells that have prevented 11 million deaths and 4.5 billion cases of disease. It is my position that using the vaccine honors that loss.