DISCLAIMER. What follows is difficult and heart-breaking information, so I want to be very clear here: pregnant women are generally unaware of the process described below. They are often coerced into the abortions and further coerced into signing consent forms for their baby to be used for “science.” My heart is tender for these women. Who knows what difficult, vulnerable or impossible position in which many found themselves. That vulnerability was often met with coercion. If you are reading this, and this is part of your story, please know that there is grace and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. This post (and this website) are not intended to condemn you in any way. The information is intended to shed light on an evil industry and all those involved in the coercion of women to gain the use of the baby in her womb. I wish this article wasn’t necessary, but the deception of this industry has made it critical to share.


So much has happened since our April 2020 article highlighting a few COVID-19 vaccines (in development at the time) that used abortion-derived fetal cell lines. Some of those vaccines were eventually authorized for emergency use in countries around the world and have been administered for almost a year now. It’s time for an update.

This year of COVID-19 vaccines brought steadily growing exposure to terms like “fetal cell lines,” “aborted fetal cell lines,” and “abortion-derived fetal cell lines.” As the vaccines rolled out, people of faith began asking questions and looking for answers. Many had no idea that pharmaceutical companies (as well as science and medicine in general) have been reliant on abortion-derived fetal tissue and abortion-derived fetal cell lines for decades. It’s a shocking realization… hard to even fathom.

Next, questions of conscience arose. What does this mean about me taking a COVID-19 vaccine? Is it ok? Is it moral? What does the bible say? It’s so much to process, especially when the fear of COVID and the promised “savior” of vaccines bombard us daily through news outlets and social media.

Then, companies began requiring the vaccine for employment. Some countries required proof of vaccination for entrance into shops, sports arenas, large gatherings, and even churches above a certain number. Suddenly, wrestling with the moral and ethical questions about vaccines was no longer a luxury, but an urgent necessity.

Many of us are searching for solid information to help make our decisions. This update will explain what a fetal cell line is, list the most commonly used COVID-19 vaccines around the world, provide data on the fetal cell lines associated with those vaccines, and explain the history of each of those abortion-derived fetal cell lines.

What is an abortion-derived fetal cell line?

The development of a fetal cell line is an intentional process from beginning to end. To be clear, it’s an intentional process engaged in by the abortionist, Planned Parenthood clinics, scientists and tissue procurement companies – NOT the pregnant mothers.

This intentional process requires the baby to be dissected within minutes of the abortion to ensure the harvested tissue is “live.” The live tissue is quickly prepared and sent to the pre-arranged scientist or research center. Scientists then isolate the cells and create the fetal cell line.

Normal cells have a finite lifespan. However, fetal cell lines take a normal cell and change it so that the cells can be multiplied and grown indefinitely. These cells are considered “immortal.” These immortal cell lines are then used for scientific and medical research as well as in the food and cosmetic industries.

COVID-19 vaccines that used abortion-derived fetal cell lines

The four most widely used COVID-19 vaccines across the globe all used abortion-derived fetal cell lines in their research, development, production and/or testing. Those vaccines are:

AstraZeneca/Oxford and Janssen/Johnson & Johnson used abortion-derived fetal cell lines in all phases of their vaccine production; in the research, development, production, and testing.

Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech used abortion-derived fetal cell lines in the testing of their COVID-19 vaccines.

Fetal cell lines used for COVID-19 vaccines

Three different abortion-derived fetal cell lines were used in the four COVID-19 vaccines: HEK-293, PER.C6, and MRC-5.

The above fetal cell lines are linked, so you can read more about them and see where they can be purchased.

History of the abortion-derived fetal cell lines

HEK-293 human fetal cell line (HEK = Human Embryonic Kidney) was derived from a baby aborted in the Netherlands in the early 1970s. The kidney tissue cultures were collected by Dr. Alex van der Eb in 1972, and then used to develop the HEK-293 fetal cell line by Dr. Frank Graham in 1973. Dr. van der Eb indicated the abortion was “probably” done in 1972. The history of HEK-293 was not documented according to van der Eb who said, “We had no donor information on 293 or what was available got lost.” The “293” in HEK-293 refers to the number of fetal samples used in the research. With history as a solid predictor, we know this likely correlates to as many as hundreds of aborted babies used during the research and development of this one fetal cell line.

PER.C6 human fetal cell line was developed in 1985/1995 from the retinal tissue of an aborted baby at 18 weeks gestation. The retinal cultures were taken by Dr. Alex van der Eb in 1985, but it wasn’t until 1995 that the PER.C6 cell line using those cultures was developed by Dr. Ron Bout and Dr. Frits Fallaux. According to Crucell (now part of Janssen Pharmaceutical), maker of PER.C6, “PER.C6® technology supports the growth of a wide variety of human disease-causing viruses that can subsequently be processed into vaccines. It can be used for the manufacturing of inactivated whole virus, live-attenuated, live-vector, split and subunit vaccines. PER.C6® technology also allows for efficient production of recombinant vaccines.”

MRC-5 human fetal cell line was developed in 1966 by researchers at the Medical Research Council in the UK. This cell line came from a 3 1/2 month gestation baby boy who was aborted for psychiatric reasons from a physically healthy 27 year old mother.

The research and development to make a successful fetal cell line historically takes many abortions, not just the one that is ultimately used for the final product. These three fetal cell lines represent untold numbers of abortions.

These cell lines are not the first (or the last) created and used for vaccines and the broader scientific community. Read more about the history of fetal cell lines that companies like Pfizer want to suppress in the White Paper, “Abortion, the Human Fetal Cell Industry, and Vaccines.” You may also be interested in the Pfizer whistleblower who spoke to Project Veritas about the company’s intentional suppression of its use of fetal cell lines in the COVID-19 vaccine.

Christian ethics around abortion-derived fetal cell lines

The past year and a half have produced many hair-splitting arguments around the ethics of these fetal cell lines. Some pastors, priests and Christian ethicists have spoken into the issue and confused people with arguments such as “remote connection” to evil or by the use of very complex logical arguments that boil down to the idea that the ends justify the means.

Make no mistake, there is NO remote connection with evil. This process has an intimate connection with evil. It is an extremely intentional process – by necessity. The need for “live tissue” creates that necessity.

These situations are planned in detail. Vulnerable, expectant mothers are coerced. They are NOT separate events.

Please don’t be confused, fooled, or led astray by these intellectual-sounding arguments. Consider whether these arguments are based in factual history. Also, be aware of what drives your conclusions: will it be the fear of a virus and faith in the purported “savior” of vaccines, or will it be faith in our one true savior, Jesus Christ, and obedience to Him above all else?

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