According to The Hill, nearly 1 in 3 people in the United States have said they definitely or probably will not get one of the COVID-19 vaccines, according to a survey.
Place me in that group as definitely will not.
There are multiple reasons people give for not taking the vaccine, but the main reason I decline doesn’t seem to be one of the more common reasons. People have cited the rushed release of the vaccines and the relatively unknown expectations for side effects as the most common reasons.
Just from reading the FAQ on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, I would have serious doubts about these vaccines.
- “If I am pregnant, can I get a COVID-19 vaccine?” – Answer: Yes, if you are pregnant, you might choose to be vaccinated. Based on how COVID-19 vaccines work, experts think they are unlikely to pose a specific risk for people who are pregnant.
Unlikely. They think.
The CDC’s answer goes on to admit that there is currently limited data on vaccine safety for pregnant women because the vaccines have not been widely studied in pregnant people. Clinical trials of vaccines in pregnant people are “underway or planned,” but they say pregnant women can get the vaccine.
Does that sound trustworthy to you?
According to Michelle Malkin, a doctor at Pfizer Global had concerns about Pfizer’s own vaccine.
“In December, I flagged concerns raised by Dr. Michael Yeardon, former vice president and chief scientific officer at Pfizer Global, regarding two additives in the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine: polyethylene glycol and mNeonGreen. Yeardon and hiw colleagues warned of potential fertility-specific risks involving antibodies against “spike proteins” that could disrupt the development of placenta in vaccinated women. It is “unclear,” they warned, “what if any instructions/information” that clinical trial subjects received regarding those risks.”
So why take it? I am unable to get pregnant, of course, but if there is a lack of clinical trials regarding pregnant women, that gives me serious pause as the clinical trials and testing on these vaccines. The fact that the government-led effort called Operation Warp Speed was designed to speed up the development of vaccines should give one pause.
- “How long does protection from a COVID-19 vaccine last?” – Answer: We don’t know how long protection lasts for those who are vaccinated.
So why take it?
- “Do I need to wear a mask and avoid close contact with others if I have gotten 2 doses of the vaccine?” – Answer” Until more is known, fully vaccinated people should continue to wear masks and stay 6 feet apart from other people in other settings.
So why take it?
No, there are too many unknowns and unanswered questions to make me trust these vaccines. But there is some information about these vaccines that makes me say absolutely, one-hundred-percent NO, I will not take any of these vaccines.
Have you ever heard of the PER.C6 or HEK293 cell lines? I doubt you have. The HEK203 cell line originated from human embryonic kidney cells obtained from an abortion in 1973. The PER.C6 cell line originated from retinal cells obtained from an abortion in 1985.
There are currently three authorized vaccines available and each one of them was developed or tested using either the PER.C6 or HEK293 cell line.
Pfizer-BioNTech: Some tests used HEK293 abortion-derived cells.
Moderna: Some tests used HEK293 abortion-derived cells.
Johnson & Johnson/Janssen: Both development and testing were done using PER.C6 abortion-derived cells.
Two other vaccines are currently in Phase 3 clinical trials and may be approved for use in the United States.
AstraZeneca: Both development and testing were done using HEK293 abortion-derived cells.
Novavax: Some tests used HEK293 abortion-derived cells.
I want absolutely nothing to do with any vaccine that was developed or tested using abortion-derived cells. Nothing.
I have seen some argue that using these cell lines should not be an issue because neither cell line uses any of the original cells obtained from an abortion. Both the PER.C6 and HEK293 cell lines were grown in the laboratory for testing purposes and do not contain any aborted material or any original cells obtained from an abortion.
That argument is a cop-out.
Would either of these cell lines be available, were it not for an abortion? No. No, they would not.
Many past and current vaccines involve the use of fetal cell lines, either in development or testing. Is it possible I might have been given one of these vaccines when I was young? Were the chickenpox, measles, mumps, polio, or rotavirus vaccines developed or tested using fetal cell lines? I don’t know, but it is irrelevant. I was given many vaccines when I was young and choices were made for me. I am making the choice about this vaccine and any vaccinations I might have been given in my past do not factor into the decision.
Might there be consequences for my refusal to take a COVID-19 vaccination? Possibly. I have read that it might be possible that I will not be allowed to fly. It’s possible that some businesses might exclude the non-vaccinated, although I’m not sure how they’d go about that.
Whatever the ramifications, they do not factor into my decision to not take a COVID-19 vaccine. I absolutely refuse to make the conscious decision to profit from anything obtained, developed, or tested as a result of an abortion. By profit, I mean any greater access, capabilities, or allowances that I would not have without taking the vaccine.
This is my decision. I know full well that it will be met with scorn and derision, perhaps even by some in my circle of friends, some of whom have already been vaccinated.
It won’t change my decision.
Note Added -March 22, 2021: I just read that Krispy Kreme is giving away a free donut every day of 2021 to Americans who can prove they’ve been vaccinated. The consequences for declining to be vaccinated have begun!
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