More Thoughts on Varivax and the Continuation of My "Dogness"

   

Bl. Jerzy Popieluszko, a Polish priest who was martyred by the Communists in 1984. His "Litany to Our Lady of Czestochowa" includes the line, "Mother of those who resist, pray for us."

      As I have been going about my life since my battle with the local tech school's admission's department began (see "I'm a (Pro-Life) Dog"), my thoughts have gone more than once to tomorrow's titre test. Today, someone in support of my convictions mentioned that, even if schools and clinical sites accept an exemption or titre, many health care facilities require vaccines. I could have a tough life ahead of me, it appears.

      I suppose the biggest thing here is, "How far do I press the issue?" The Church had stated that it is not intrinsically immoral to receive vaccines that contain aborted fetal cell lines. From the National Catholic Bioethics Center:

"What is the Church's teaching about the use of certain vaccines that have a distant historical association with abortion?

There are a number of vaccines that are made in descendent cells of aborted fetuses. Abortion is a grave crime against innocent human life. We should always ask our physician whether the product he proposes for our use has an historical association with abortion. We should use an alternative vaccine if one is available." (https://www.ncbcenter.org/resources/frequently-asked-questions/use-vaccines/#assocAbort) (emphasis mine) There is no alternative to Varivax, the varicella vaccine.

      Also, Varivax contains aborted fetal cell lines, not aborted fetal cells. 

"The cell lines WI-38, MRC-5 and Walvax-2 are derived from tissue from aborted fetuses. Any product grown in these cell lines, therefore, has a distant association with abortion. The cells in these lines have gone through multiple divisions before they are used in vaccine manufacture. After manufacture, the vaccines are removed from the cell lines and purified. One cannot accurately say that the vaccines contain any of the cells from the original abortion." (ibid.)

      So, I hope to never to be in a situation requiring that I be vaccinated. If it happens that I am, I do not believe I will lose my soul because of it, and I will protest as much as possible, continuing my "dogness" of spreading fire and making noise. I will pray and do whatever I can that an ethical vaccine is developed (as has been done for shingles, which is caused by the same virus as chicken pox) and ask you to do the same.

      The whole situation is very difficult. Please pray for me, that I make the right decisions and honor Our Lord while promoting the culture of Life in all my actions.

      To pose an ethical question: if someone is required to submit to an unethical vaccine to receive training or be hired for a job in which he can do much good and support the Culture of Life, is he using the ends to justify the means, or is he being sinned against by those requiring it, as a married person who refuses to use contraception and does not wish the other to use contraception is sinned against if the other spouse does use contraception.