One of the most offensive lies peddled about vaccines is that they “contain aborted foetal cells”.
Consider this April 2013 screenshot from AVN Facebook:
I noticed an even more absurd take when reading Anti-vaccine chiropractors redux-1, c/o reasonablehank. He was reviewing the anti-vaccine rantings of one “Dr” Koe Davidson who is a chiropractor running Peak Potential Health and Wellness in Mentone, Melbourne. One screenshot includes Davidson addressing vaccine ingredients as listed by the CDC. It includes:
Oh and “egg protein” = fancy word for aborted fetus cells. This wording was changed in mid 2012… Scary stuff.
For a document last updated in February 2012 I’m not sure what he’s trying to convey. The CDC cannot have changed egg protein to aborted “fetus” cells in 2012 as this would be complete nonsense. Thus one must conclude he is either utterly confused on the topic of cell cultures or – as is common with chiropractors aligned with the CAA – misinforming readers.
The CDC write about egg protein as a vaccine additive:
Egg protein is found in yellow fever and most influenza vaccines, which are prepared using chicken eggs. Ordinarily, persons who are able to eat eggs or egg products safely can receive these vaccines.
So how can such confusion on cell cultures come to pass? Today strains of human diploid cell culture are grown in containers in laboratories. In the manufacture of vaccines, viruses that infect humans are grown in these human diploid cell lines. One strain of human diploid cell culture was made in the USA in 1961. Labelled WI-38 this strain came from the lung tissue of an aborted female of three months gestation.
Another human diploid cell culture was produced in the UK in 1966. The tissue came from the lungs of a 14 week old male foetus and the strain is labelled MRC-5. W.I. refers to the Wistar Institute. M.R.C. refers to the Medical Research Council.
The abortions did not take place with the intent of producing human diploid cell culture for use in vaccine manufacture. The biologists who produced the diploid cultures did not induce the abortions. Both abortions were intentional and would have been carried out whether the foetal tissue had that fate or not, post abortion.
These cells used to grow viruses have been reproducing since 1961 (WI-38) and 1966 (MRC-5), respectively. The viruses produced this way are further processed and sterilised in the production of the vaccine. In this way any potential for contamination with foetal material is eliminated. Furthermore, strict quality control measures are employed to examine each vaccine to ensure no foetal material is present.
♣ The USA National Network for Immunization Information state (bold mine):
These two cell strains have been growing under laboratory conditions for more than 35 years. The cells are merely the biological system in which the viruses are grown. These cell strains do not and cannot form a complete organism and do not constitute a potential human being. The cells reproduce themselves, so there is no need to abort additional fetuses to sustain the culture supply. Viruses are collected from the diploid cell cultures and then processed further to produce the vaccine itself. ♣
Vaccines produced using WI-38 and MRC-5 human diploid cell lines include hepatitis A, rabies, rubella, MMR, varicella and Pentacell DTaP-IPV/Hib.
Another abortion was performed on a rubella virus-infected mother in 1968. Both mother and foetus were infected with wild rubella and this posed the risk of major birth defects. Foetal tissues were obtained and wild rubella virus (RA27/3) was isolated. This has been grown in human foetal diploid cell line WI-38. No foetal tissue is present in the vaccine. No further abortions are necessary to produce more vaccines.
Prior to isolation of RA27/3 the USA experienced 800 cases of congenital rubella annually. At the turn of the century only three babies with congenital rubella were born. Research was carried out to study the possibility of using other animal cells to produce the RA27/3 rubella vaccine. However these proved less effective and less safe.
The Vatican accepts the use of human diploid cells in the manufacture of vaccines. A June 9th 2005 Vatican City Statement on Aborted Fetal Vaccines acknowledges this. It notes use of these cell lines is:
…to avoid a serious risk not only for one’s own children but also, and more specifically, for the health conditions of the population as a whole – especially for pregnant women.
For example, the severe epidemic of German measles which affected a huge part of the United States in 1964 thus caused 20,000 cases of congenital rubella2, resulting in 11,250 abortions (spontaneous or surgical), 2,100 neonatal deaths, 11,600 cases of deafness, 3,580 cases of blindness, 1,800 cases of mental retardation. It was this epidemic that pushed for the development and introduction on the market of an effective vaccine against rubella, thus permitting an effective prophylaxis against this infection.
[And observes that]
…the parents who did not accept the vaccination of their own children become responsible for the malformations [due to rubella infection] in question, and for the subsequent abortion of fetuses, when they have been discovered to be malformed.
Think of an apple orchard. The organic material nourishing the trees includes (say) manure, bird droppings, animal carcases, rotting vegetation and so on. If one eats an apple one is not eating manure or the carcass of an unfortunate passing mammal. To say vaccines contain cellular material is to employ exactly such flawed thinking.
A vaccine initially made using human diploid cells that passed FDA requirements via another production method is the RabAvert rabies vaccine by Chiron Corporation. When safe and effective alternatives can replace the methodology involving human diploid cells we shall begin to see them. It is a fact that the human strains are superior in many ways. However they are not, in any way shape or form, “aborted foetal cells”.
The claim that vaccines contain the cells of aborted foetuses or are contaminated with any organic material is quite simply false.
- Vaccine Excipient and Media Summary
- Moral Considerations with Certain Viral Vaccines
- ♣ Edit added January 6th, 2014
- Chiropractor Nimrod Weiner misleads public audience, “What happens is they take a scraping of that aborted fetus with the virus on it, and put that into the vaccine itself” [link fixed 14/6/20]. Source: Call to probe rant on vaccines. © The Australian August 17th 2011. Or view screenshot (part 1) from article and screenshot (part 2).
Losing In The Lucky Country 
I wonder if Mr Koe’s objection is to the assumed presence of human cells of any kind, the use and presence of human baby cells or the fact the initial cells were acquired post-abortion? I ask because I find it interesting that anti-vaxxers are always careful to include the word “aborted” in the description.
Now, to be clear, I don’t really wonder at all since I’m sure that like everything they do, it’s all about impact, not facts. But I do wonder, deep down, if the anti-vaxxers ever stop to ask themselves what exactly it it they think they’re objecting to. Is it a supposed health concern or moral outrage?
Now Paul, I think you should brace yourself for a Nastygram from Mr Koe’s Legal Team.
No Nastygram yet. Hmmm. Perhaps thems been hacked also?
if you go to the cdc website and look at the ingredients list on their webpage it clearly says “human fetal cells”
Provide me a link and I’ll deal with it.
I’ve provided the CDC Vaccine Excipient and Media Summary and it clearly states human diploid cells.
The post above and the pages I’ve linked to scream in “join-the-dots” simplicity why there are no cells in vaccines.
So Jennifer, please provide me the CDC page wherein “ingredients” include “human fetal cells” and I’ll happily look into it.
Your wording purports that vaccine ingredients (ie; the content/s of vaccines) contain fetal cells.
I’ve shown how only 3 abortions – 1961, 1966 and 1968 – were involved in the production of human diploid cell lines:
http://www.immunizationinfo.org/issues/vaccine-components/human-fetal-links-some-vaccines
How much proof do you need? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WI-38
This actually confirms – very clearly – what I have written. The diploid cells are used in vaccine production. Vaccines contain no aborted fetal cells.
It’s cell lines, which are grown in media in very controlled conditions (it’s by chance where they come from, it’s a matter of weather or not the initial cell line is viable in a laboratory situation). I’m sure that people who tout the “aborted foetal cells” line are thinking of little babies growing in Petri dishes- WRONG- it’s a thin invisible layer of cells growing in what looks like pink cordial. There are many different cell lines that have come from different sources (the HE-LA consprasory about cancer), they have to come from somewhere to start with, they could easily have come from cheek cells.
I thank you for trying to clarify this situation with people who don’t read or understand what is written
Thanks for that Nina.
Picking up on the dramatic imagery opponents probably entertain, I find this (other) chiropractor’s claim compelling:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/call-to-probe-rant-on-vaccines/story-e6frg6n6-1226116314545
What a dolt! Everyone knows you don’t scrape the dead babies – that would be atrocious. You have to wring them out like grandma’s laundry then collect the contaminated liquid in a bucket to add to all the vaccine mixtures.
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Hi. You’re dumb. You’ve missed the whole argument. It’s the fact the vaccines are derived from an aborted fetus that creates the ethical dilemma.
Gee thanks “truth”.
No, I’m addressing the fallacious claim that foetal tissue is present in vaccines. And I’ve shown it to be false. The “ethical dilemma” you worry over is a straw man fallacy and addressed by The Vatican – which is quite plain in the article.
If you’re having another argument with yourself, truth, by all means continue. I clearly state what this piece is examining.
Carry on.
advodiaboli, I agree, the cells are not present in the vaccine. The ethical dilemma is present though, the same vatican document you linked contains:
“Therefore, doctors and fathers of families have a duty to take recourse to alternative vaccines13 (if they exist), putting pressure on the political authorities and health systems so that other vaccines without moral problems become available. “
That ethical dilemma is simply subjective. Pushed along by the Vatican.
So, are you saying that because the human cells were from an abortion from 35+ years ago, that it is okay to inject our bodies with human cells? I’m sorry, but as a Christian, this is so WRONG, on so many levels!!! Human cells are human cells and if you are a Christian, then it is morally WRONG to inject ANY HUMAN CELLS into our bodies. It is equally wrong to inject any animal cells into our bodies. READ your Bible and you will see it clearly tells us how wrong this is!
Bottom line though… You clearly admit that there ARE aborted fetal tissue, or if you will, fetal cells in vaccines! Read what you wrote, I laughed as I did, because you say there are NOT fetal cells, then you say the fetal cells are from abortions from 35 years ago! This is what I call, an OXYMORON!!!
So, are you saying that because the human cells were from an abortion from 35+ years ago, that it is okay to inject our bodies with human cells?
Nothing of the sort and I have no idea where you got such an absurd idea. You seem not to have even read the article. I’ve explained concisely that no human or foetal cells are in any vaccines.
Bottom line though… You clearly admit that there ARE aborted fetal tissue, or if you will, fetal cells in vaccines!
Really!? Er, no I didn’t “admit” to either foetal tissue or foetal cells being present in vaccines. Could you please point out where you think you saw this?
Read what you wrote, I laughed as I did, because you say there are NOT fetal cells, then you say the fetal cells are from abortions from 35 years ago!
Quite right. From which diploid cell cultures were produced, providing “merely the biological system in which the viruses are grown”.
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