MORAL REFLECTIONS ON CHILDHOOD & ADULT VACCINES AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALIA

Updates: This document was updated last on 10-Oct-2015, and I would welcome any suggestions or corrections. Please e-mail me at vaccinations [AT] journeywithgod [DOT] org (replace [AT] with @ and [DOT] with . and remove any spaces).

Introduction: I am a Catholic father and husband that (as a result of the birth of our child and God's Providence) started to research the Church's teaching on vaccines. What I found was profound, and therefore I would like to share these findings with all Christians, and al those that are endeavouring to be morally correct in their actions. This work is dedicated to Our Holy Mother (As our previous Holy Father used to say: 'Totus Tuus' [1]).

Considering that the research involved accessing many different departments, agencies and websites I have decided to make a "reference list" at the bottom of this page. Please review the different sources quoted as they often contain more information that may assist you in forming your own conscience about these matters.

The moral issue:

This is something that every person who is considering having themselves or their child vaccinated should now: The production of certain vaccines is connected with acts of procured abortion.

There is a good document on this from the Vatican Pontifical Academy for Life (established by Pope John Paul II [2]): "Moral Reflections On Vaccines Prepared From Cells Derived From Aborted Foetuses" [3] (please read this document first and then return here)

In short, I think that this document can be summarized using the following excerpts:

1. The vaccines that are incriminated today as using human cell lines (WI-38 and MRC-5) from aborted foetuses, are the following:
   A)Live vaccines against rubella:
   -the monovalent vaccines against rubella Meruvax®II (Merck) (U.S.), Rudivax® (Sanofi Pasteur, Fr.), and Ervevax® (RA 27/3) (GlaxoSmithKline, Belgium);
   -the combined vaccine MR against rubella and measles, commercialized with the name of M-R-VAX® (Merck, US) and Rudi-Rouvax® (AVP, France);
   -the combined vaccine against rubella and mumps marketed under the name of Biavax®II (Merck, U.S.),
   -the combined vaccine MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) against rubella, mumps and measles, marketed under the name of M-M-R® II (Merck, US), R.O.R.®, Trimovax® (Sanofi Pasteur, Fr.), and Priorix® (GlaxoSmithKline UK).
   B) Other vaccines, also prepared using human cell lines from aborted foetuses:
   - two vaccines against hepatitis A, one produced by Merck (VAQTA), the other one produced by GlaxoSmithKline (HAVRIX), both of them being prepared using MRC-5;
   - one vaccine against chicken pox, Varivax®, produced by Merck using WI-38 and MRC-5;
   - one vaccine against poliomyelitis, the inactivated polio virus vaccine Poliovax® (Aventis-Pasteur, Fr.) using MRC-5;
   - one vaccine against rabies, Imovax®, produced by Aventis Pasteur, harvested from infected human diploid cells, MRC-5 strain;
   - one vaccine against smallpox, ACAM 1000, prepared by Acambis using MRC-5, still on trial.
2. There is a grave responsibility to use alternative vaccines and to make a conscientious objection with regard to those which have moral problems;
3. as regards the vaccines without an alternative, the need to contest so that others may be prepared must be reaffirmed, as should be the lawfulness of using the former in the meantime insomuch as is necessary in order to avoid a serious risk not only for one’s own children but also, and perhaps more specifically, for the health conditions of the population as a whole – especially for pregnant women;
4. the lawfulness of the use of these vaccines should not be misinterpreted as a declaration of the lawfulness of their production, marketing and use, but is to be understood as being a passive material cooperation and, in its mildest and remotest sense, also active, morally justified as an extrema ratio due to the necessity to provide for the good of one’s children and of the people who come in contact with the children (pregnant women);
5. such cooperation occurs in a context of moral coercion of the conscience of parents, who are forced to choose to act against their conscience or otherwise, to put the health of their children and of the population as a whole at risk. This is an unjust alternative choice, which must be eliminated as soon as possible.

Looking at each of these points individually:

Point 1: In relation to the morally objectionable vaccines

Glossary:

'Pertussis' is the same as 'Whooping Cough'
'Hepatitis B' is not the same as 'Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)'
'Hib' is the same as 'Haemophilus influenzae type b'
'Poliomyelitis' is the same as 'Polio'
'Varicella' is the same as 'Chicken Pox'
'Rubella' is the same as 'German Measles'
'Measles' is the same as '"Ordinary" Measles'

Sources used:

A. For Australia, there are a number of vaccines available that are morally objectionable. A good starting point for in-depth research is the following document from eMJA "The Medical Journal of Australia": "Vaccine components and constituents: responding to consumer concerns" [4]. Of special interest in this document is the list of childhood and travel vaccines listed in the "Conclusions" section (be careful printing this document as the list of vaccines does not always print correctly - double check to make sure you have the entire list)

B. The list of vaccinations to be administered (provided by Medicare Australia): "Current Immunisation Schedule" [5]

Comparing these 2 lists we can identify a number of certain and/or possible moral issues with using certain vaccinations:

A few notes first about this list:

• It is created preliminary for our own personal use, although it will serve most common Australian families that want to proceed without moral issues as well. What I mean by this is that there are other vaccines available that are not listed or researched here. Use the 3 documents described above (Vatican, eMJA and Medicare) together with the information of the various pharmaceutical companies to make further conclusions on different vaccines.
• This list deals with the vaccines used up to about 11 months. When our child is growing older I will provide more research on the 12, 18 and 48 months of age vaccinations.
• I wanted to create a simple list that parents could use to make a quick decision about what is moral and what isn't.
• We decided NOT to allow our child to be given a 'Hepatitis B' injection at birth since the risk of infection seemed low to us (more on this below). Therefore the vaccine normally used here has NOT been researched. You will need to do your own research on this. A good starting point is the procedure described in the next point - start by calling your local/chosen maternity unit to find out what vaccine against 'Hepatitis B' they give at birth.
• Procedure used for researching vaccinations:
  1. Use the Medicare list (link above) to view what vaccinations are due when.
  2. Contact your local doctor or hospital and find out exactly what vaccine they are planning to use and when.
  3. Verify that the vaccine is not listed on the Vatican document (link above). This is your first assurance.
  4. Consult the eMJA list (link above) and verify that the vaccine was not created used human cell lines (see the "cells" column in the "Conclusions" section). This is your second assurance.
  5. Contact the pharmaceutical company that is creating the vaccine and ask them whetter the vaccine was created using human cell lines. This is your third assurance.
  6. If 3, 4 and 5 all proved negative and you've located as to how the vaccine was created (possibly using egg, yeast or animal cell lines or otherwise) then you've got a fairly accurate assurance the vaccine was not created using aborted foetuses. If however, you found that human cell lines where used you need to delve (much) deeper to ensure that this vaccine you're researching was not created using aborted foetuses.
• You can contact GSK Medical Information on 1300 652 353 (ask for medical information) or 1800 033 109 (same)
• You can contact Pfizer on 1800 675 229 (select 'medical information' from the main menu. This is option 6 at the moment) - You will likely be referred to a 'medical information specialist' who may have to ring back.
• [Now outdated information 04-Jul-12:You can contact Wyeth on 02 8850 8200 (9am-5pm Mon-Fri) (ask for medical information about vaccines) or 1800 555 057 (this is consumer healthcare number - you may need to ask to be transferred to medical information about vaccines) (8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri)]
• I have contacted GSK, Wyeth and Pfizer to confirm that Infanrix® Hexa, Prevenar, Prevenar 13, and Rotarix® were not created using human cell lines of aborted foetuses.

Age	Disease immunised against	Moral or Unmoral Vaccine?
Birth	Hepatitis B	Not researched
2 months	Diphtheria	Infanrix® Hexa: 2m (GSK) See note on Hepatitis B [note]
	Tetanus
	Pertussis
	Polio
	Hib
	Hepatitis B
	Pneumococcal (refer to note 1)	Prevenar 13 (Pfizer)
	Rotavirus (refer to note 5)	Rotarix®: after 6 weeks of age & before 14 weeks (GSK)
4 months	Diphtheria	Infanrix® Hexa: 4m (GSK) See note on Hepatitis B [note]
	Tetanus
	Pertussis
	Polio
	Hib
	Hepatitis B
	Pneumococcal (refer to note 1)	Prevenar 13 (Pfizer)
	Rotavirus (refer to note 5)	Rotarix®: before 24 weeks of age & more than 4 weeks since last one (GSK)
6 months	Diphtheria	Infanrix® Hexa: 6m (GSK) See note on Hepatitis B [note]
	Tetanus
	Pertussis
	Polio
	Hib (refer to note 2)
	Hepatitis B (or at 12 months)
	Pneumococcal (refer to note 1)	Prevenar 13 (Pfizer)
	Rotavirus (refer to note 5)	Not necessary if Rotarix® was used (refer to note #6 on the Medicare site)
12 months	Measles	Priorix: MORAL ISSUE
	Mumps
	Rubella
	Hib	Not researched yet
	Hepatitis B (or at 6 months)	Not researched yet
	Meningococcal C (refer to note 3)	Not researched yet
18 months	Varicella (refer to note 4)	(Varivax® vaccine - Chicken Pox) - MORAL ISSUE [14]
	Pneumococcal (refer to note 7)	Prevenar 13 (Pfizer)? Could this maybe also be given earlier? See the "How long will your child be having the injections" notes in the "Prevenar 13 CI [Customer Information]" leaflet linked to below: it seems to specify that normally there are 4 injections, at least 4 weeks apart.
4 years / 48 months	Diphtheria	Not researched yet
	Tetanus	Not researched yet
	Pertussis	Not researched yet
	Polio	Not researched yet
	Measles	Priorix: MORAL ISSUE
	Mumps
	Rubella

Summary of this table:

• There is NO moral vaccine available yet for protection against Measles, Mumps & Rubella
• There is likely NO moral vaccine available yet for protection against Varicella/Chicken Pox, although I need to research this further
• There are moral vaccines available for Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Polio, Hib, Hepatitis B (but see this note), Pneumococcal and Rotavirus and;
  • I have verified that for these diseases Infanrix® Hexa, Prevenar and Rotarix can be taken (being moral vaccines)
• I have not researched the 'Hepatitis B' vaccine given at birth, and;
• I still need to list the research for the vaccines given at 12 months of age
• I have not yet researched the vaccines for 48 months of age

2 Warnings:

• In the medical information about Infanrix® Hexa you may read that there is a high occurrence of fever when it is administered together with Prevenar [Update 04-Jul-12: I have not re-verified this for Prevenar 13 (the 'Prevenar' replacement vaccine) yet]. It may be best to make 2 separate appointments with your doctor to ensure this does not happen to your child.
• After the doctor administers Rotarix® parents have to wash their hands and have good hand hygiene when changing babies' nappies for some time (check with doctor) to ensure not spreading the disease to other children. Parents themselves do not need to be vaccinated as their immune system has normally already been exposed and build up enough to prevent them from receiving disease.

Information on vaccines from the pharmaceutical companies:

• Infanrix Hexa® [6]
• Prevenar 13 [7]  (Click on 'P', then on 'Prevenar 13', then on the information sheet you want)
      Note 04-Jul-12: A previous product 'Prevenar' was marketed by Wyeth. Also, Wyeth is now part of Pfizer.
      You may also find this information sheet of interest: Transition to Prevenar 13® on the National Immunisation Program [15]
• Rotarix® [8]
• Varivax® [14]

Further notes and considerations when using this list:

• Note on Hepatitis B: during my research I found a statement by another Christian that I think is worth mentioning:
  
  "The Hepatitis-B vaccine protects against a disease that is only transmitted through multiple sexual partners or street IV drug users and therefore usurps my parental authority to condemn such activity in my child. The acceptance of this vaccine promotes sexual promiscuity and immoral behavior in direct contradiction to the teachings of our faith."
  
  I do not know what the Church's stand is on this (it does not seem that anyone has raised or put a question forward about this issue) so my following statement is made with the reservation that if Holy Mother Church had anything to say about this that I would listen to and accept her understanding of this and not to my own. I have asked the Vatican Pontifical Academy for Life this question via an e-mail and will update this website if more information becomes available.
  
  For the moment, and to us personally, although he or she does seem to make some point at first impression, this seems a bit far fetched, as it is at least partially incorrect given that there are other ways in which Hepatitis-B could be spread (like blood transfusions and transmission between family members within households, possibly by contact of nonintact skin or mucous membrane with secretions or saliva containing the virus [9]). Another consideration is that at least 30% of reported Hepatitis B among adults cannot be associated with an identifiable risk factor [10]. Hepatitis B is also found to be highly prevalent in certain indigenous groups in Australia [11], increasing the risk factor of infection (since 30% (as stated above) of reported Hepatitis B amongst adults cannot be associated with an identifiable risk factor). A further error in this statement is that 1) it does not have to be 'multiple' sexual partners, and 2) the consideration that (in the case where the child grows up and marries) the child's future spouse or husband may have previously attracted Hepatitis B through sexual conduct, through the other ways mentioned above, or through the other 30% of unclear infections.

Point 2: In relation to our duties to ourselves, our children and society

The Vatican document is clear on this:

"We have a grave responsibility to use alternative vaccines and to make a conscientious objection with regard to those which have moral problems"

The list of available moral vaccines that we have used can be found above, or you can do your own research, using the procedure listed above.

As indicated, we have to "make a conscientious objection with regard to those which have moral problems". This can be done quite easily by filling out this form: "Medicare Australia Conscientious Objection Form" [12]. This form has to be signed by your healthcare provider as well. As far as our research goes, this will NOT affect your eligibility for a payment for Vaccinations under the Australian Family Tax Benefit System.

Point 3A: In relation to our duties to society

The Vatican document states: "such cooperation occurs in a context of moral coercion of the conscience of parents, who are forced to choose to act against their conscience or otherwise, to put the health of their children and of the population as a whole at risk. This is an unjust alternative choice, which must be eliminated as soon as possible."

It further clarifies our duties in relation to society: "as regards the vaccines without an alternative, the need to contest so that others may be prepared must be reaffirmed"

This can be done by contacting the current Minister of Health using e-mail:

To do this, go to the Department of Health and Ageing Website Homepage [13] and follow these steps:

1. Click on the blue "Ministers" button on the top navigation bar
2. Click on the first option in the list that opens (i.e. the current Minister of Health and Ageing) (currently at 22.01.08 "The Hon. Sussan Ley MP - Minister for Health and Ageing")
3. Click on "Contact <name>" on the bottom left in the sidebar menu (currently "Contact Hon. Sussan Ley")
4. Click on the e-mail address shown and your e-mail program (like outlook express should open). Here is a suggested letter:

5. Also add your name, address, phone, and e-mail to the bottom of this letter so that the Health Minister may be aware that this letter he or she is receiving is from different people.

Alternatively, you can also use the address details shown on the website above to send a letter rather than an e-mail. The current mail contact details for the minister are:

The Hon. Sussan Ley MP, Minister for Health and Ageing
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

Please check to ensure Sussan Ley is still the minister for health and ageing and the time of sending your letter.

Point 3B & 4 & 5: In relation to our rights to protect our children & the morality of such decisions

In this regard, maybe one can dwell on footnote #15 on Rubella (German Measles) in the Vatican Document, as well as the text in the document that links to it, and these things then in combination with the overall document summary. It is also good to see if there are any new vaciness which do not have moral issues, as well as considering the status of various diseases, both locally as well as globally.

It is not an easy decision to make. We are currently researching if there are alternative vaccinations available. As to vaccinating our children or not, our thought/decision process (assuming no alternative vaccines are available) is summarized in the following graphic:



If something is not clear within this graphic, I'd be happy to discuss/elaborate via email (email me at the address listed at the start of this page).

As for the actual decision, a (learned) Priest told us that since the event is 10+ years ago the remoteness of the 'passive material cooperation' is very remote and he recommended to Vaccinate. He also negated the 'God uses bad for good so we can do the same' as shown in the graphic ('God uses bad past for future good'), as 'we are not God' - which made sense to some extent.

After prayer, and based on the above graph overview + the Priest's advice, we have decide to move ahead with vaccinating our children.

Praying for all the best in your personal decision process. God bless.

References:

[1] "Totus Tuus" - Holy See Press Office. http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/sp_ss_scv/insigne/totus-tuus_en.html
[2] "About Us" - Vatican Pontifical Academy for Life. http://www.academiavita.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20&Itemid=54&lang=en
[3] "Moral Reflections On Vaccines Prepared From Cells Derived From Aborted Foetuses" - Academia Pro Vita. http://journeywithgod.org/Vatican_Pontifical_Acadamy_for_Life_on_vaccines.pdf
As retrieved from http://www.academiavita.org/template.jsp?sez=Documenti&pag=testo/vacc/vacc&lang=english on 05-12-2007
[4] "Vaccine components and constituents: responding to consumer concerns" - MJA. http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/184_04_200206/eld10500_fm.html
[5] "Current Immunisation Schedule" - Medicare Australia. http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/provider/patients/acir/schedule.shtml
[6] "Infanrix® Hexa" - GlaxoSmithKline Australia. http://www.gsk.com.au/products_vaccines_detail.aspx?view=44
[7] "Prevenar 13®" - Pfizer Australia. http://www.pfizer.com.au/sites/au/Products/Pages/AllProducts.aspx
[8] "Rotarix®" - GlaxoSmithKline Australia. http://www.gsk.com.au/products_vaccines_detail.aspx?view=73
[9] "Hepatitis B" - Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatitis_B
[10] "Epidemiology of hepatitis B" - Shapiro CN. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=8392167
[11] "The Yellow Book" - NatHNac. http://www.nathnac.org/yellow_book/03.htm
[12] "Conscientious Objection Form" - Medicare Australia. http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/provider/pubs/forms/files/ma_conscientious_objection_form.pdf
[13] "Homepage" - Department of Health and Ageing. http://www.health.gov.au/
[14] "Varivax®" - Merck & Co.,INC.. http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/v/varivax/varivax_pi.pdf
[15] "Transition to Prevenar 13® on the National Immunisation Program" - Department of Health, Victoria State Goverment http://docs.health.vic.gov.au/docs/doc/EC2A346DFCE9FBA4CA2578B200123F36/$FILE/Transition%20to%20Prevenar%2013%20fact%20sheet%2013.pdf