Vaccines Put Life at Risk (Spring, 99)
As a vaccination craze sweeps the nation, the vaccine industry, now characterized by exorbitant profit, the removal of parental rights, and potential health hazards, is a ripe candidate for touting an immunization against the "disease" of pregnancy. The growing number of mandatory vaccines for school children has placed an enormous burden on families. Many parents prefer to teach their children to live healthy life-styles rather than to expose them to the risks associated with vaccines designed to prevent diseases contracted from poor behavior. But now parents are faced with a moral dilemma as they are told they have no choice, they must vaccinate. The truth is, the potential dangers of some mandatory vaccines are virtually unknown and immunizations that are unnecessary for small children, such as the Hepatitis B vaccine, have caused serious deformities and even death. Tom Bethell of the American Spectator (5/99) wrote, "Although many are now getting the (Hepatitis B) vaccine, hardly anyone in the general population is at risk for the disease." Since 1991, low-risk infants have been vaccinated against Hepatitis B, a disease which struck 10,637 people in 1996, only 279 of whom were children. The Centers for Disease Control lists drug addicts, homosexuals, heterosexuals with multiple partners, children of immigrants from certain areas, health care workers and infants born to infected mothers as high-risk groups. In spite of this, every child is now required to receive the Hepatitis B vaccine before entering school because the CDC found that "Hepatitis B frequently goes undiagnosed since the high-risk people are reluctant to come forward and identify themselves." According to Tom Bethell, 36 states now require that a series of three shots be given to infants. Only nine states do not have currently implemented a mandatory Hepatitis B vaccine for children. North Dakota passed a bill that lists the immunizations children must have in order to attend school. Homeschooled students are no exception. Jane Orient, executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons said, "It’s outrageous to be forcing this upon children, the great majority of whom are not at risk. But all are at risk of adverse reactions to the vaccine." In fact, some have died from adverse reactions to vaccines. In 1998, the Food and Drug Administration revealed that 25,000 cases of vaccine-related ailments had been reported, several of them life-threatening. Nevertheless, the CDC recommends routine Hepatitis B vaccine shots for infants. Now some pro-abortion groups want to mandate vaccines in young women as well as infants.It was recently discovered that Mexico and the Philippines were conducting Tetanus Toxoid Vaccine campaigns that included government-supplied vaccines containing an abortifacient anti-pregnancy hormone. (Baby-killing vaccine: is it being stealth tested?," HLI Reports, June/July 1995, p.1) In 1985, a document called Inventing The Future expressed a plan to make it mandatory that every child be "immunized against conception" at puberty and get a reversal shot at age 21. (STOPP International, Update #12, 03/99) The explosion of compulsory vaccinations may open the door to mandatory contraception in the future as part of a new effort to reduce teen pregnancy and increase profit. Vaccine manufacturer Merke & Co. makes $900 million per year from vaccine sales. State health departments make money from shots delivered, so they too condone multiple vaccines. Amendments to the Childhood Immunization Act of 1993 gave states financial incentives, offering up to $100 a head depending on the number of shots provided. Producers of a contraceptive "vaccine" may find a high demand for a product that "cures" teenage pregnancy. Barbara Fisher of the National Vaccine Information Center said "our children now get 33 doses of ten different vaccines by kindergarten; our grandparents got only one - smallpox. The CDC hasn’t yet done the studies showing whether all these shots are safe." In light of the dangers surrounding many vaccines, some parents opt not to risk harm to their children and seek exemptions from the vaccination on religious or medical grounds. n
Pox Vobiscum?
Todd Parish thought it was fine when his 1-year-old son, Timothy, was vaccinated against chicken pox as he had been. But that was before the Air Force sergeant learned that cells derived from aborted babies were used to make the vaccine. And that similar cells were used to make the Hepatitis A and rubella shots Parish received several years ago (6/5/98 Kansas City Star, 6/12/98 Infonet). Because manufacturers do not describe how their vaccines are made, thousands of parents may find themselves in Parish’s same predicament. Parents have a right to know the origins of common vaccines and the risks involved so they can make informed decisions in the best interests of their children. The chickenpox vaccine was cultured in lung tissue obtained from two surgically aborted fetuses, a process which many parents find abhorrent (Experimental Cell Research 37: 614-636, 1965; Nature 227: 168-170). "I did not know when I was injected what I was getting," said Parish. "That tramples on my moral convictions. Unknowingly, I became involved in something I find immoral and hideous." The chickenpox vaccine raises some moral questions for good, conscientious parents. While some educated parents oppose the chickenpox vaccine simply because it is unnecessary, others believe the use of aborted babies is an indirect participation in the evil of abortion. "I still think the use of fetal tissue for my gain shouldn’t happen," Parish said. "By accepting this vaccine, we’re encouraging the development of more fetal tissue products. We’re helping people profit from the deaths of two (unborn children)." An understanding of the moral implications surrounding the chickenpox vaccine coupled with an awareness of certain unknown factors regarding its safety and effectiveness are usually enough to convince parents that declining the chickenpox vaccine altogether may benefit their children’s health. One reservation about using the vaccine stems from the fact that no one knows its long-term effects. Even vaccine maker Merck & Co. admits "the duration of protection...is unknown at present and the need for booster doses is not defined." Merck further admits that "there are insufficient data to assess the rate of (vaccine) protection against the complications of chickenpox..." Yet Merck & Co. continues to sell more than $150 million of its (government approved) VARIFAX chickenpox vaccine in the U.S. yearly! Many are questioning the ethics and productivity of mandating the use of thousands of children for research purposes. A study to determine the effects of the chickenpox vaccine on shingles, for example, often is inconclusive because the painful, long-term disease may not surface until 20-30 years after recovery from chickenpox. According to Kristine M. Severyn, Director of Ohio Parents for Vaccine Safety, "Parents worried about the many unknowns surrounding chickenpox vaccine should not be forced to enroll their child(ren) in a massive, potentially dangerous, medical experiment. Too many safety and effectiveness issues remain unsolved to shoot this vaccine into our children without the right to say ‘NO!’" For the safety of the group, the armed forces require their personnel to be vaccinated for a variety of diseases. But the chickenpox shot also is required for students attending military-run elementary schools. In response to Parish’s insistence that he be allowed to exercise his parental right, the Defense Department granted Parish’s daughter a vaccination exemption on religious grounds. Now Parish is battling the military over whether soldiers should be informed about how vaccines are made and be allowed to reject them on moral grounds. He is working with legal experts from the Rutherford Institute to stop what he believes to be a violation of the sanctity of human life. They encourage all parents to investigate the ramifications of allowing their children to be shot with a vaccine that may do more harm than good, and to protect them from it, even if it means refusing a "recommended" vaccine.
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