In an interview on NewsMax, HHS Secretary RFK Jr. claimed that MMR vaccines contain aborted fetal debris and DNA particles.

Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites that need host cells to grow. Since human cells are sometimes best for growing human viruses, some vaccines use cell lines derived from two elective pregnancy terminations back in the 60s. Because these cell lines are practically immortal, manufacturers can continue using this cell line; there are no new sources of human fetal cells.

Even though fetal cells are used to grow vaccine viruses, vaccines do not contain these cells. After the virus is grown, it’s goes through a process to remove everything that isn’t the virus itself, including the cells the virus was grown in.

Dr. Stanley Plotkin, in a series of videos, explains how we can use fetal cell lines developed decades ago to manufacture vaccines today. The cell lines provided multiple advantages, including absence of animal viruses, a fertile place for cell growth, and the immortality of the cells (meaning no new fetuses need be destroyed to make another cell line).

Even with the remoteness of the issue of abortion from the vaccines in use, some people still have moral questions.

The Vatican advised adherents in 2005  about the acceptability of receiving some live, attenuated vaccines. To further clarify that statement, the Vatican issued another statement in 2017, which reads: “The moral obligation to guarantee the vaccination coverage necessary for the safety of others is no less urgent.”

Pope Francis, speaking about COVID vaccination, is quoted as saying, “I believe that morally everyone must take the vaccine.” Given the moral obligation to protect one’s community, people of all faiths should take the vaccine they are offered.

Of course, people of other faiths may have similar hesitations about vaccines, so it is important for us all to build bridges with the faith-based organizations in our communities.

A social media post claims that COVID vaccines have killed 600,005 people, more than the 580,124 Americans killed during World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War.

The meme starts with the number 19,355, the number of deaths reported to VAERS. One problem with using VAERS data is that VAERS is a repository of anything bad that happens after a vaccine, regardless of whether it was caused by a vaccine or not. Anyone can file a VAERS report, and doctors must report any death that happens soon after vaccination even if the person died in a car crash or from cancer. In this report there were clear examples of the vaccine being excluded as cause of death, yet the reports are still listed in VAERS and counted as vaccine deaths by those who make these memes.

Next, the creator multiplies 19,355 by 31. They claim only one in thirty‑one vaccine adverse events gets reported because of the analysis from a wordpress blog disguised as a medical journal, with an editorial board that includes anti-science and anti-vaccine figures such as Peter McCullough, Pierre Kory, Russell Blaylock, and Brian Hooker.

What is the likely number of deaths actually caused by the COVID‑19 vaccines? Careful reviews by CDC experts have found nine deaths in the United States linked to a rare blood-clotting condition after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. No other deaths have been confirmed as caused by any COVID‑19 shot, out of hundreds of millions of doses given. That works out to far less than one death per million doses—many times lower than the risk of dying from COVID itself. (archive.cdc.gov)

A video once again recirculating claims that COVID vaccine makers knew from clinical trials that 80% of pregnancies in the vaccinated ended in miscarriage and that vaccination has led to higher rates of miscarriage since then, according to OB/GYN Dr. Kimberly Biss.