Sorry for not posting in a while, my wife and I had our son and I have been enjoying a few weeks at home with them. Being a father is truly a blessing from the Lord.
Now, since having the little guy, we have been trying to do our homework on things we didn't necessarily give much thought to on the front end- namely doctor visits, shots, vaccines, well-baby visits, etc.
I have since read a couple of books (information at the bottom of this post) on the above that are against the established regimen. What I mean is, they do not favor the above. Instead, they promote allowing the immune system to develop as nature intended and to stay away from vaccines, vitamin K shots, etc.
In the process of reading those books, I have grown tremendously in my understanding regarding the vaccines, alternatives and how to interact with my pediatrician and her cohorts at our child's clinic. What is more, I found something very interesting and it poses a dilemma for me... and I believe every Christian.
Here is that dilemma: Would you take something that, in all probability, will do more harm than good that is derived from a voluntarily aborted fetus, and inject that into your child? I cannot. Throw every other reason for not getting vaccinated out of the window (Death, paralysis, autism, brain damage, and a host of other side effects) and let's say there are no side effects. Every person who is vaccinated will be perfectly normal and the vaccine will do exactly as it is marketed to do- vaccinate. Now, the only issue left on the table is that the vaccines are derived from human fetuses that were aborted back in the 60's and 70's... would I be willing to inject the vaccine in my child? For the good of the rest of the children (herd mentality)? No.
Here is a quote in a letter written in response to a concerned parent regarding state law regarding vaccines and the Catholic Church's stance on vaccines being derived from aborted babies: If someone rejects every form of voluntary abortion of human foetuses, would such a person not contradict himself/herself by allowing the use of these vaccines of live attenuated viruses on their children? Would it not be a matter of true (and illicit) cooperation in evil, even though this evil was carried out forty years ago? Citation.
However, later in the letter, it is stated that if there is a great threat to society as a whole, then it is okay to take such vaccines temporarily, for the good of mankind.
From what I have been reading (written by doctors who work in the field and in pediatrics), no vaccine can be accredited for wiping out or drastically diminishing infections. Every disease that there is a vaccination for was already in decline (and most were drastically declining) by the time the vaccinations were put on the market. So, there would appear no moral obligation to take a vaccine derived from human fetuses that were aborted.
It also stands to reason that most outbreaks tend to occur in those that have been vaccinated. One study even showed that there was a population that was 100% vaccinated against measles and they still had an outbreak.
For me, the risks outweigh any perceived or marketed benefit. Now, what do we do about schooling? Homeschooling is one option and another is to reject vaccines based on religious grounds (a sample letter can be found here) and see if we can still place our child(ren) in public/private schools.
There are a lot of responsibilities that come with children- however, the benefits/blessings of having them outweigh the responsibilities and over time we may not always make the right decisions, but we will make informed decisions.
Some questions:
-Have you given any thought to vaccines?
-Does this little bit of information at the very least cause you to want to look into this more?
-Can a Christian knowingly accept vaccinations for themselves or for their children if they are derived from aborted fetuses?
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One of the books I have read on the subject: How To Raise A Healthy Child... In Spite Of Your Doctor by Robert S. Mendelsohn, M.D. (here is a negative article about him and here is a positive article about him). The book is dated, but I found a lot of thought provoking information contained in its pages. Also, the book answers well the charges brought up against it/him in the negative review- such as why he only saw 6-10 patients a week.
Another book i've read is: Vaccine Alternatives It is written by Ervin Davis, M.D. (A review of the book) This is the only book that I can find he has written, but it is thorough and full of cited material that is not dated. The book was written in 2008 and very current. He cites lots of studies and every stat that he gives, he backs it up with studies. I found this to be a great book that caused me to pause and give more thought to this entire medical issue. He also gives information on how the immune system works and why injecting viruses may not be the best method for building immunity to viruses that are commonly contracted through the air. What is more, he doesn't just leave you with what is wrong, he gives you some information on how to live a healthy lifestyle that will aide you in building your immune system to fight off diseases and viruses naturally.
Here is a link to the CDC and what they have to say about the MMR vaccine. Updated Link as the CDC moved it. They state just a little way down why the vaccine is made from aborted fetal tissue (cell linings) and towards the bottom, risks are discussed in short order. Once on the page, just do a search (CTRL+F) for the word Aborted.
Here are some video discussion between doctors on the issue of mandatory vaccinations. These are very one sided and seem to be overly emotional for the most part.
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Part 1
Part 2
