Vaccines

I had heard that some vaccines were made using cells from aborted fetuses. That disturbed me, but I didn't check it out at the time. Recently a friend sent me an article about embryo adoption because we had a conversation about it a while back. It had some information about a company called avm biotech which is committed to producing vaccines without aborted fetal cell lines. So I started reading more about all this. Here's my info track so far. I thought you might find it interesting.

The article my friend sent me

http://www.seattlearch.org/FormationAndEducation/Progress/VaticanBioethicsDocument01-22-09.htm

the company that is trying to do things ethically
http://www.avmbiotech.com/home.html

more info about the vaccines and how they're produced
http://www.lifecanada.org/html/science/Vaccines/VaccineQuestionandAnswers.html

Moral implications
"On Vaccines Made From Cells of Aborted Fetuses - Pontifical Academy for Life Response "
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1452002/posts

"However, in this situation, the aspect of passive cooperation is that which stands out most. It is up to the faithful and citizens of upright conscience -- parents, doctors, etc. -- to oppose, even by making an objection of conscience, the ever more widespread attacks against life and the "culture of death" which underlies them.

From this point of view, the use of vaccines whose production is connected with procured abortion constitutes at least a mediate remote passive material cooperation to the abortion, and an immediate passive material cooperation with regard to their marketing.

Furthermore, on a cultural level, the use of such vaccines contributes in the creation of a generalized social consensus to the operation of the pharmaceutical industries which produce them in an immoral way.

Therefore, doctors and parents have a duty to take recourse to alternative vaccines [13] -- if they exist -- putting pressure on the political authorities and health systems so that other vaccines without moral problems become available. They should take recourse, if necessary, to the use of conscientious objection [14] with regard to the use of vaccines produced by means of cell lines of aborted human fetal origin.

.....


Summary

To summarize, it must be confirmed that there is a grave responsibility to use alternative vaccines and to make a conscientious objection with regard to those which have moral problems.

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

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.

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.

Clare after 1 month

Our little Clare is already a month old. I don't know where the time went! Out the window with our sleep I guess!! She's had a busy first month what with snowstorms, Christmas at the Ramseyers', New Years at the Ledesma's in Canada, a wedding in Bellingham and her Baptism last week!

Her Baptism was really special. Our little Clare Scholastica was Baptised in a truck driving school on the eve of the Baptism of the Lord. Well....okay so it's a Church inside a truck driving school, but it's still fun to say. All parishes have to start somewhere! Fr. Frank made the private baptism feel extra special. It was wonderful having a priest we've known for so long be able to bring our baby into life with Christ. I wasn't sure how it would feel as a parent to have our baby Baptised, but I think for Jon and I the most prominent feeling was of relief. For me it felt like our first duty of being a parent was fulfilled. Task #1 get her baptised has been completed. I almost had a feeling that someone up there kept telling me, "The clock is ticking! Get it done!!"

So when it finally happened I was a lot more relaxed. Ah, who knows it might have been the great smell of the Chrism working some aromatherapy magic. ;) ha ha! j/k

Woohoo! Now she's without original sin! It's crazy to think that she'll basically be in a state of grace until she's 7 at the age of reason. That's so cool.

God does marvellous things with our lives. Baptising our baby was step one in acknowledging that. We had the chance to sign the sacramental child rental papers. I think it was St. Therese of Lisieux's mother who instilled the idea in her that God had only let her mother borrow her for a time before she was to be returned to God. That's a lot of what I thought about as the water was pouring over her head. I just kept thinking, "We'll take good care of her for you God."

Choice Fr. Frank quotes from the baptism:

"Yay no more pagan baby!" - after baptising Clare with the Holy Water
"This will be the most well documented baptism in a truck driving school ever!" - after all the camera flashes

Here are some of my other favorite shots of her in the past week. She feels like she's grown so much! My arms tire quickly now when I hold her and Jon found out last night that he can't secure her diaper as tightly as before. It seems that when you're a parent time just feels like it's constantly slipping away, so you really have to make a point to enjoy every second of their development. People aren't kidding when they say, "They'll be all grown up before you know it!"

Pictures of Clare from the Hospital

This is easier than emailing people. The shots we have are really big. My sister Joy took these while she was at the hospital for Clare's birth and through the next day.