Do vaccines come from aborted fetuses? Recently, the old topic has re-emerged in online discussions on vaccine ethics that some of them were made from cells taken from aborted babies. More and more people believe this theory. What's the truth? Explains dr hab. Ewa Augustynowicz from the Department of Serum and Vaccine Research at the National Institute of Public He alth - PZH.
Ethical issues are related to all activities of a person dealing with he alth protection and prevention. This applies not only to giving informed consent to undergo a medical procedure, but also to issues related to the question of how research was conducted on a given drug. Recently, the old topic has re-emerged in online discussions on vaccine ethics that some of them were made from cells obtained from aborted fetuses. What's the truth?
Do vaccines come from aborted fetuses?
- The sentence thatvaccines come from cells from aborted fetusesis such a big shorthand that it is untrue. First of all, we are not talking about all vaccines, but only three: against rubella (available as a vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella), varicella and hepatitis A (hepatitis A) - explains Dr. Ewa Augustynowicz from the Department of Serum and Vaccine Research at the National Institute of Public He alth - PZH in an interview with the portal www.zaszczkasiewiedza.pl
The sentence that vaccines come from cells from aborted fetuses is such a big shorthand that it is even untrue - says Dr. Augustynowicz.
- Secondly, and most importantly, the vaccines in question were created using two cell lines, i.e. cells derived from cultures that grow in the laboratory, derived from human embryonic cells used to grow vaccine viruses, adds Dr. Augustynowicz.
In both cases, the abortion took place in the 1960s and was performed for non-medical reasons, after a court judgment. If we would like to compare this situation to any medical procedure known to us, then we can speak of donation as in the case of organ donation. Thus, the abortions were not performed in order to harvest the fetal cells.
According to an expertprof.Włodzimierz GutOn the NIPH-PZH website you can find information by professor Włodzimierz Gut, who explains in an accessible way the procedure of collecting cells from fetuses over half a century ago: "Instead of subjecting the embryo to standard utilization (burning), a diploid cell line was derived from the cells of this embryo which is currently used to make a vaccine. The process of obtaining a cell line from the cells of an embryo that would be removed anyway (court judgment) is analogous to the removal of organs from a deceased person and has nothing to do with performing an abortion. "
Are vaccines ethical?
Believers ask questions about the moral aspect of using these vaccines. - There are no measles, mumps, rubella and hepatitis A vaccines in Europe that were not produced using a cell line harvested in the 1960s. With these vaccines, due to the stringent safety requirements, viruses used in the production of vaccines from other cell lines, such as animal lines, cannot be multiplied. If there were any other way of multiplying viruses, it would certainly be already used - says Dr. Augustynowicz unambiguously.
Father Paweł Bortkiewicz, professor of theological sciences specializing in moral theology, speaking to the portal www.zaszkujesiewiedza.pl, clarifies: - In a situation where it is not possible to obtain an alternative vaccine, and it would be necessary to save lives human body ( although there would be doubts about its origin), it is possible to undergo vaccinations, as stated in the document of the Pontifical Academy Pro Vita. Nevertheless, assuming that information transparency is an element of democracy, it seems essential to provide information about the origin of vaccines and obtain alternative preparations that do not raise ethical doubts as to the source of their origin.
The lack of an alternative in Poland means that the act of vaccination is not a morally reprehensible act. Moreover, the attitude in which we expose ourselves and our loved ones to the potential risks of diseases and complications that are, in most cases, avoidable by vaccination cannot be excused. If we want to act ethically and morally, we should look for reliable sources of information, supported by the knowledge of medical authorities and scientific research, and only then make decisions about the case for everyone who is most important - he alth.