*11.14.21 click here for a full update to this article.

*Post updated 1.12.21 and 1.26.21. See footnotes.

A lot has changed in the last couple of months, and our lives look drastically different than they did when we began 2020. Words like “COVID-19” that didn’t even exist a few months ago now dominate our news cycles 24/7. Previously foreign concepts like social distancing and stay-at-home orders are now part of our “new normal.”

While I don’t want to add to the 24/7 COVID-19 bombardment, I do want to make you aware of how COVID-19 and aborted fetal cell lines intersect.

With COVID-19 spreading around the globe and urgent calls for a vaccine, there is a race to bring the first COVID-19 vaccine to market. Many companies and academic institutions have joined the race, which is being fast-tracked by skipping important phases of testing.

There are many COVID-19 vaccines in development that are being tracked by the WHO, including the front runners. Like me, those who are disturbed by the use of human fetal cell lines in vaccines will want to know about the 5 COVID-19 vaccines in development that are using human fetal cell lines. Several of these are front runners in phase 1 or phase 2 clinical trials, and one is aiming to be completed as early as September!

5 COVID-19 vaccines using human fetal cell lines

1. Moderna/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). This US company is utilizing a new mRNA vaccine technology that has not yet been approved for market. According to a Science magazine article, the spike (S) protein used in the research and development of the vaccine is made with the HEK-293 human fetal cell line. Moderna is in phase 1 trials according to the WHO update on April 11, 2020.
   *12.20.20 correction: The spike protein made using HEK-293 was used during Moderna’s research for its COVID-19 vaccine, but is NOT in the final vaccine product.
   *1.26.20 note: Please see footnote for a more detailed explanation of the use of HEK-293 in the research and development of the modified spike protein Moderna used to encode its mRNA vaccine.
2. CanSino Biologics/Beijing Institute of Biotechnology. These two Chinese companies are developing an adenovirus-based vaccine using the HEK-293 human fetal cell line. CanSino was approved to begin phase 1 clinical trials on March 17, 2020, and are in phase 2 trials according to the WHO update on April 11, 2020.
3. AstraZeneca/The University of Oxford/Jenner Institute. This collaborative effort on a COVID-19 vaccine is also using the HEK-293 human fetal cell line. Human trials will begin soon.
4. Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies (owned by Johnson and Johnson). This US company uses the PER.C6 human fetal cell line for its vaccine, and was in preclinical trials according to the WHO update on April 11, 2020. Johnson & Johnson received a $456 million contract from the US Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) on March 27, 2020.
5. University of Pittsburgh. This US academic institution is developing its vaccine based on the HEK-293 human fetal cell line. This vaccine is being developed around the use of a unique microneedle delivery system, which is 400 tiny needles on a Velcro-like patch. Human trials will begin soon.

History of HEK-293 & PER.C6 fetal cell lines

• HEK-293 human fetal cell line (HEK = Human Embryonic Kidney) was derived from a human fetus 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. According to Dr. Alex van der Eb, 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.”
• PER.C6 human fetal cell line was developed in 1985/1995 from the retinal tissue of an aborted fetus 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.”

Can a safe COVID-19 vaccine be developed?

Compared to normal pharmaceutical drugs, vaccines (classified as biologics) are already fast tracked. But now we’re experiencing the COVID-19 super fast track, which is skipping critical testing phases.

With many known strains of coronaviruses, vaccines have been attempted in the past but proved notoriously difficult to successfully develop. In fact, Dr. Peter Hotez (who worked on a SARS coronavirus vaccine in 2003) said the coronavirus vaccines carry “a risk of immune enhancement” – which means when animals were exposed to a coronavirus after vaccination, they had a more exaggerated reaction to the virus (even death) compared to unvaccinated animals. Hotez went on to say, “The way you reduce that risk is first you show it does not occur in laboratory animals.” The animal testing phase of coronavirus vaccines is shown to be critical, yet this phase was completely skipped by Moderna.

Hotez’s experience with developing coronavirus vaccines gives him unique first-hand knowledge of the risks of accelerating the COVID-19 vaccine development timeline. Hotez “understand(s) the importance of accelerating timelines for vaccines in general,” but said, “from everything I know, this is not the vaccine to be doing it with.”

In addition to these deep concerns, we know human fetal cell lines pose safety risks and can cause insertional mutagenesis, autoimmunity and cancer.

These COVID-19 vaccines are extremely concerning to say the least. Both the fast-tracked development & testing and the use of aborted fetal cell lines pose serious risks.

Please remain watchful and well-informed during these unprecedented times.

*Note: The information presented in this post is accurate as of April 23, 2020. However, the landscape is changing rapidly, so updates will be provided as they come.

*1.12.21 General Update: There are now many more COVID-19 vaccines using aborted fetal cell lines either in the production of the vaccine itself or in the research, development, or testing. These include the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines already in use under the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization (EAU) AND vaccines still in development. For a complete list of these vaccines, please refer to the Charlotte Lozier Institute.

*1.26.21 Moderna Update: There is some confusion around the use of HEK-293 aborted fetal cell line during the research and development of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. Moderna’s mRNA vaccine encodes for “a prefusion stabilized form of the Spike (S) protein, which was selected by Moderna in collaboration with investigators at the NIAID Vaccine Research Center (VRC).” This means Moderna and NIAID created a new and modified spike protein that is more stable than the spike protein found in SARS-CoV-2. This NIH article specifically states that 1) “NIAID scientists designed the stabilized spike antigen” and 2) NIAID is working with Moderna to develop its “messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine, which directs the body’s cells to express the spike in its prefusion conformation to elicit an immune response.” This Science magazine article detailing the creation of the modified spike protein used by Moderna states “Plasmids encoding the heavy and light chains of S230, 80R and m396 IgG were transiently transfected into Expi293 cells (Thermo Fisher) using polyethylenimine.”  Expi293 cells refers to the HEK-293 aborted fetal cell line. The scientific evidence shows Moderna used HEK-293 fetal cell line in the research and development of its COVID-19 vaccine which led to the production of its vaccine, mRNA-1273, which is now being widely used. The new, stabilized spike protein was used for the encoding of the mRNA vaccine. Even though HEK-293 fetal cell line was not used in the final product, some people of faith find it deeply troubling that it was used in R&D at all.

*1.26.21 Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly referenced a Lancet article in the section about Moderna. The article was intended to be referenced in bullet point 5 about the vaccine microneedle delivery system.

A Voice for Truth, along with guest writers and My Informed Choice, have created shareable one-page information sheets. These infographics provide fast facts, but are rich with links to original sources covering the following topics:

• U.S. Vaccines Made Using Aborted Fetal Cells
• The Children Sacrificed for Vaccine Development
• Safety of Aborted Fetal Cell Lines Used in Vaccine Development
• The Facts About Vaccine Safety
• Dr. Stanley Plotkin: Modern Godfather of Vaccines

We hope you find them helpful!

January 13, 2020. An historic day. Thousands gathered at the New Jersey state capital for the largest and longest protest in Statehouse history. What would draw such a large crowd from dawn to dusk on a cold winter day to peacefully but powerfully communicate to their legislators?

Religious freedom.

New Jersey’s bill, S2173, threatened their free exercise of religion by attempting to remove their right to use a religious vaccine exemption.

Some read that and wonder why one would need a religious exemption from vaccines. Some have read or heard that religious exemptions are typically used by parents who do not want to be inconvenienced by having to take their child to the doctor to be vaccinated. They wonder if a religious exemption is just an easy excuse for parents not to do their job.

The actions of the thousands standing outside the Capital speak volumes and tell us a different story. Their actions do not fit the stereotypes. The thousands of people in the picture above chose to be inconvenienced and put their lives on hold, taking time during the middle of their week, missing work and other obligations. These are parents who care, parents who have very often taken significant time to understand vaccine ingredients, their potential impact on the body, and their faith. These are parents of integrity who want their actions to reflect their internal faith beliefs.

The crowd at Trenton represented diverse religious and political views. Christians, Jews, Catholics, Muslims, and many other faiths hold different and sometimes contradictory views. Yet in the area of vaccines they are linking arms, fighting to protect their common interest – practicing their religion without violating their conscience and faith. What do they consider a threat to their conscience? Being forced to use vaccines that contain ingredients they find objectionable, such as aborted fetal cells and fetal bovine serum, etc.

New Jerseyans are not alone in their fight for religious freedom. California, Maine, Mississippi, New York, and West Virginia only allow medical exemptions. Religious freedom has already been lost in 5 states. Other states are also fighting to keep their religious rights, including Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, and Washington. Still others have legislators considering introducing similar bills to remove religious vaccine exemptions.

Why the push to remove religious exemptions?

Elimination of religious exemptions is THE top priority of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

During their annual leadership meeting in March 2019, the AAP discussed the most pressing issues facing American children. Their conclusion was not what one might expect. Their top priority was not childhood cancer (the 2nd leading cause of death in children) or the rising rates of autoimmune diseases (such as juvenile diabetes, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, or celiac disease).

Of all the deeply concerning medical issues plaguing the sickest generation of American children, the AAP’s top priority from that meeting was the elimination of religious vaccine exemptions.

The AAP published its resolutions in an article, which initially was entitled, “Elimination of religious vaccine exemptions ranked top priority at Annual Leadership Forum.” The title was later changed to replace “religious vaccine exemptions” with the phrase “non-medical exemptions.”

The AAP’s priority of removing all religious and personal exemptions is being attempted or realized in many states already. If proposed legislation has not come to your state yet, it will.

Find more information through the resources below.

1. Abortion, the human fetal cell industry, and vaccines white paper
2. Father Michael Copenhagen’s testimony to the legislators in Trenton, NJ (47:49 -51:43)
3. Jewish Rabbi’s testimony to the legislators in Trenton, NJ (1:40:28-1:45:15)

I want to let you know about some important research out of Italy. Corvelva is an Italian organization with one of the few independent labs in the world capable of analyzing vaccine contents. Corvelva’s lab analyzed Priorix Tetra – GlaxoSmithKlein’s measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox vaccine – which is made using the MRC-5 human fetal cell line.

Their analysis found 360,000 fetal cells in the vaccine. Researchers did a complete genome sequencing of the Priorix vaccine, and found the entire human genome sequence of a male. This is consistent with what we already know about MRC-5 being derived from the lung tissue of an aborted male at 3 1/2 months gestation. It also found high rates of abnormality in the genetic code, and 560 genes linked to cancer.

Please take a few minutes to watch this powerful video summarizing Corvelva’s research that was presented at the Italian National Biologist’s Chamber conference on January 25, 2019. Corvelva’s paper, Vaccinegate: MRC-5 Contained in Priorix Tetra – Complete Genome Sequencing, is also available on its website and provides the detailed scientific research.

For more details about Corvelva’s research, please see the following:

• Corvelva’s Press Conference in January 2019 sharing more details about their research.
• Researcher Loretta Bolgan’s presentation sharing an update on Corvelva’s analysis on September 27, 2019. While the video is in Italian, the text summary that follows is an helpful snapshot of their findings.

*Post updated 1.12.21. See footnote.
Jump straight to White Paper

This post is an introduction to a white paper I’ve written (available in English and Deutsche). For anyone wanting more research and science about abortion, human fetal cell lines and vaccines, this paper is for you.

This project unexpectedly fell into my lap because of my child’s health crisis, stumping doctors nearly a decade ago. Exploratory surgery was recommended, and questions arose: Was it food intake? Was it allergies or medication side effects? Was the body interacting badly with a medication or vaccine? I started on a journey to find answers where all these questions and more were explored.

At first, the vaccine question seemed easiest to answer. Surely, I thought, it was just water and a weakened version of the virus. So I turned to the most reputable source I knew to investigate the ingredients – the Centers for Disease Control website. That was when I first saw the words, “normal human diploid cells.”

What? Why was the word “human” listed in multiple vaccines’ ingredients? Attempting to answer this initial question snowballed into years of combing through scientific literature dating back to the 1930s. It revealed a 60-year link between vaccines and the abortion industry, clearly demonstrating the reliance many vaccines have on human fetal cell lines. These fetal cell lines are created from aborted babies and used in the production of vaccines. My reading not only revealed the use of abortions in vaccine research and development, but other disturbing details, such as the deception of expectant mothers, the mistreatment of aborted babies (sometimes born and dissected alive) and the trafficking of and profiting from aborted babies’ organs, tissues and body parts.

This long history, plainly chronicled in scientific journals, directly contradicts the modern narrative that researchers used only two aborted children during vaccination development in the 1960s. Instead, they used hundreds – and still counting.

I have two purposes for writing this paper. The first was born out of the realization that many Christians and Christian ministries have unknowingly repeated this false narrative intentionally propagated by the abortion industry to cover up a sordid history. As a pro-life Christian, I want to provide an accurate history for those who care about or have spoken about this issue. Like me, many may not realize how the promotion of vaccines using human fetal cell lines may undermine their overall efforts to stop the legalization of abortion and the legislation surrounding it.

My second purpose centers upon a recent legislative push to remove parental rights by eliminating religious exemptions for vaccines. Prior to learning the history of vaccines, I didn’t understand why someone would want to exercise a religious exemption. It has become clear to me how pro-life Christians can hold legitimate biblical convictions against the use of aborted babies to create human fetal cell lines used in the production of today’s vaccines. State and federal legislators need factual data – substantiated by science – to present an accurate history of the use of aborted babies in vaccine development.

I pray this information may open your eyes and motivate you to action as it has me.

We all deserve to know the truth.

*1.12.21 Update: Since the onset of COVID-19, there are now many COVID-19 vaccines using aborted fetal cell lines either in the production of the vaccine itself or in the research, development, or testing. These include the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines already in use under the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization (EAU) AND vaccines still in development. Click here to learn more.

*Post updated 1.12.21. See footnote.

Sitting with two precious women many years ago in the midst of their deepest grief profoundly impacted me. One grieved over a loss she couldn’t control, and the other grieved over her loss years before due to a choice. Yet they both grieved. One struggled with infertility and when she joyfully finally conceived, her precious children were miscarried. The other found herself in an unexpected, difficult situation and made the only choice she felt she had at the time, but deeply grieved that decision later. Both lost their babies.

I was honored to be present for one of those sacred times. I saw the twins, beautifully-formed and perfect, lying together. The powerful image of life created by God, however small, yet infinitely valuable is burned in my heart and mind. Though they joined heaven long before my friend was ready to say goodbye, those moments were a profound commingling of wonder and sorrow. The weight of such an intimate moment left me speechless and yet feeling so privileged to be there. We cried together when no words could be found.

This blog is written with the desire to honor life. It’s not intended to attack, demean or hurt anyone. Instead, I write to expose hidden truths that grieve me deeply. The saying, “Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes”, is one I identify with as I type. By God’s grace, I want to share what I’ve learned to help more people understand the inner workings of an industry we often implicitly trust without a second thought.

Current events have stirred up a renewed fervor, opening up conversations around issues of life. Regardless of your political perspective, it’s been difficult to ignore changes in New York’s abortion laws and proposed changes in Virginia. The debate centers around whether a woman has the right to terminate her pregnancy at any point – even up until the day of birth.

On the heels of this expanding abortion legislation, my heart is deeply grieved. Grieved for the lives that will be lost due to this new found “freedom”. Grieved over the slow and collective deception of so many in our country. The deception runs so deep that our elected leaders passed the act in NY with smiles while receiving praise by many in the media.

There are many reading this blog who deeply value life at its inception, its end, and all points in-between. Perhaps, like me, from a young age, you’ve had a tender, protective place in your heart for the unborn, the elderly, the disabled, and those broken-hearted and struggling in countless seen and unseen ways. It is for this reason my heart sank one day while reading a journal article from the 1960s. What I learned was almost impossible to believe. Since the 1960’s fetal cell lines from aborted babies have been used for the research and production of the vaccines we use today. My eyes were opened, and my heart broke. The tears flowed on reading the cold manner in which researchers reported the utilitarian use of human lives taken too early.

Today, my heart is to share with those who deeply value life what I have learned through peer-reviewed science. I was surprised to learn the researchers didn’t even try to hide it back in the 1960s. They often listed the age and gender of the child… sometimes even with information about the baby’s mother. At least one of those researchers, Dr. Stanley Plotkin, was and is a self-avowed atheist. As recently as a 2018 deposition, he acknowledged taking issue with religion and showed disgust for people of faith to the point of laughing as he said he’d gladly go to hell for the babies’ lives taken in the name of research.

As one whose worldview is informed through the lens of God’s heart and His words in the Bible, I had somehow allowed the research and recommendations of an atheist to deceive my thinking. The thoughts and reasoning of this man, who does not value life in the same way I do, deceived me into thinking that because vaccines purport to be valuable life-savers, it was OK for others’ babies to die in order for mine to supposedly be more healthy. Even now, when I put it in black and white, it’s as shocking as it was when I first realized it.

Here are just some of the facts I uncovered in reading the full history in the peer-reviewed literature:

1. Vaccines were cultured exclusively on animal tissue prior to the 1960’s (animals such as the rhesus monkey).
2. Culturing vaccines on animal cells was useful but had unintended consequences. A well-documented example is the discovery of vaccines contaminated with the SV40 virus from rhesus monkey cells used in its production.
3. In the early 1960’s, Dr. Leonard Hayflick was the first researcher who set out to create a “fetal cell line” for use in culturing vaccines instead of using animal tissue.
4. A fetal cell line is derived from live cells taken from an aborted baby. The live cells are modified so they can replicate indefinitely.
5. In 1962, Dr. Hayflick developed the first fetal cell line called WI-38 (Wistar Institute, 38th fetal sample) from the lung tissue of an aborted 3 month gestation baby girl.
6. The data in his 1961 and 1965 papers show at least 23 aborted babies used in the research around the creation of WI-38. The number is likely higher, given that some of the cell strains he researched were not documented in his published papers.
7. Fetal cell line WI-38 is currently being used in the
   • MMRII (Measles, Mumps, Rubella)
   • ProQuad (Measles, Mumps, Rubella + Chicken Pox)
   • Varivax (Chicken Pox)
   • Adenovirus vaccines (Adenovirus is used for the military).
8. Next, in 1964 Dr. Stanley Plotkin isolated a rubella virus strain, RA 27/3 (Rubella Abortus, 27th fetus, 3rd tissue culture explant), that was later used in Merck’s rubella vaccine.
9. RA 27/3 was combined with WI-38 to create the rubella vaccine we use today.
10. It is well established that almost 80 aborted babies were used in the research leading to the development of RA 27/3. Dr. Plotkin’s 1969 article cites 76 of those abortions.
11. Dr. Plotkin’s value of life is revealed through his actions. He tested his rubella vaccine on orphans as young as 14 months old and “seronegative mentally retarded children”. In a letter to the editor, he defended his colleagues’ unethical experimental research on those with disabilities at Willowbrook Hospital. He stated that “performing initial studies on children and adults who are human in form but not in social potential… nonfunctioning persons” is acceptable, even preferred. He went on to state, “Morality must be defined by circumstances and facts.”
12. In 1966, researchers at the Medical Research Council in the UK developed the fetal cell line MRC-5, from a 3 1/2 month gestation baby boy who was aborted for psychiatric reasons from a physically healthy 27 year old mother.
13. MRC-5 is used in numerous vaccines today, including:
    • ProQuad (Measles, Mumps, Rubella + Chicken Pox)
    • Quadracel (DTaP-IPV) *see update in footnote
    • Pentacel (DTaP-IPV/Hib) *see update in footnote
    • Twinrix (Hep A/Hep B)
    • Vaqta (Hep A)
    • Havrix (Hep A)
    • Imovax (Rabies)
    • Varivax (Chicken Pox)
    • Zostavax (Shingles)
14. After their initial creation, each fetal cell line is reproduced many times over. Though they theoretically reproduce indefinitely, they have a finite lifespan of use, as they become more oncogenic (tumor causing/cancerous) with each reproduction.
15. Due to the finite nature of the use of the current fetal cell lines, researchers have (since the 1960’s) continued to this day using aborted babies in their work toward creating new fetal cell lines.
16. Here’s a list of just a few fetal cell lines created in the years since WI-38, RA 27/3, and MRC-5 (with links to where some of these aborted fetal cells can actually be purchased): WI-44, MRC-7, MRC-9, HEK 293, PER.C6, IMR-90, IMR-91, TIG-1, Walvax-2.
17. The most recent fetal cell line, Walvax-2, was developed by Chinese researchers in 2015 using a 3 month gestation baby girl.
18. Walvax-2 researchers matter-of-factly describe intentionally aborting 9 babies using the “water bag method” of abortion. I had not heard of that method, so I researched it and discovered it’s illegal in the United States. As little value as our country places on life, this practice is so inhumane it is still banned in America. In layman’s terms, the mother’s uterus is filled with saline water so the baby can essentially be floated out of her uterus alive and in-tact. The baby is then given straight to researchers who quickly dissect them alive, because a viable fetal cell line requires live cells. In the researcher’s own words, the “tissues from the freshly aborted fetuses were immediately sent to the laboratory for the preparation of the cells.”
19. These aborted babies were used for research in 2015, not 60 years ago. It is a current and ongoing practice.
20. Walvax-2 was specifically developed as a replacement for the aging MRC-5 cell line. It was tested with rabies, hepatitis, and Varicella viruses, and was found to be “equal or superior to MRC-5 cells for cultivating these viruses”.

Excerpt from Dr. Hayflick’s 1961 paper showing aborted babies & corresponding cell strains

Dissecting aborted babies (many presumed to be alive at the time) for vaccine research has been a consistent and ongoing practice for the past 60 years. As I let that fact sink in, I wondered how I did not know. 

I had allowed minimal information to inform a most delicate decision for my children. I submitted without thinking critically to headlines and news articles. In the end, I allowed the thoughts of an atheist researcher with different moral, ethical and spiritual views than me to determine what I thought about such an important subject.

How does this impact the heart of our living God? As the creator and sustainer of life, I think His heart is deeply grieved over this practice.

This information created a crisis in my heart that I had to really sit with. I grieved over my contribution (passively due to my lack of knowledge, but contribution nonetheless) to the deaths of those babies and the ones being killed even now for research. As a follower of Jesus, and as one who takes a deeply pro-life stand, I had to re-think these vaccines and the role I played in supporting such a grievous industry.

Though this information is painful to consider, I hope you take some time to ponder it.

*1.12.21 Update: Since the onset of COVID-19, there are now many COVID-19 vaccines using aborted fetal cell lines either in the production of the vaccine itself or in the research, development, or testing. These include the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines already in use under the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization (EAU) AND vaccines still in development. Click here to learn more. On the other hand, VFT is happy to report that Pentacel and Quadracel have changed their formulations and are no longer made with aborted fetal cell line MRC-5.