Immunize & Protect, Ethically

Immunize & Protect, Ethically

Immunizing our children protects them and those around them. To protect our patients and staff, St. Teresa Pediatrics is only accepting families that immunize their children on time as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Read the Missouri Bishops' statement on COVID19 vaccines


St. Teresa Pediatrics expects that the vaccine will be available to adults first due to delays in performing trials in children. The distribution of vaccine will be managed by the government.

Information about the immunizations is available on Vaccine Information Statements.

We encourage you to use reliable sources when looking for information. Anti-vaccine web or social media sources are frightening parents into making bad decisions. This is my top recommendation for answering common questions about vaccines.


The CDC information does not include a key component of informed consent: that the cell lines used to develop some vaccines were derived from babies who died during abortions. This is unacceptable. However, in some cases we have no choice, and the responsibility to immunize to prevent the spread of diseases that can cause the death of unborn babies takes primacy.

If you are Catholic, the following resources may help you understand why we should use the vaccines:


Pontifical Academy for Life Statement
Dignitas Personae, especially paragraphs #34-35


For patients who are not part of our practice and have vaccine ethics questions, Dr. Abraham recommends this resource for trustworthy, professional consultation.


For our colleagues & families that are not part of our practice, please know that the following vaccines do NOT have to be used.

Do NOT use Use
Pentacel** Pediarix Combination vaccine in infants & toddlers
Quadracel** Kinrix Combination vaccine at 4 years old
Some polio vaccines IPOL Polio vaccines
Vaccines where we have no choice:
MMR (Measles-Mumps-Rubella)
Varicella
Hepatitis A

If you are a family that is not part of our practice and not near the St. Louis area, we recommend referring your physician to this website as a resource.

Please do register a complaint with the manufacturers of these vaccines where we have no alternative. Also consider writing their competitors to create ethical alternatives.


Click here to download a sample letter for your use.


Why should we get these at all? The duty to protect outweighs the remote cooperation in evil of accepting these with objection. See the Pontifical Academy for Life’s document, linked above.


Rubella kills or permanently disables babies in the womb. Furthermore, it is common for women to not develop full immunity to the vaccine, so their babies are at risk.


There is an ongoing mumps outbreak in Missouri, which can cause illness & long term infertility.


Measles was a common cause of death and disability in children prior to the vaccine. Outbreaks still occur.


There is a misunderstanding that varicella (chickenpox) is harmless. It is especially dangerous to babies in the womb & can cause their death. It is also dangerous to person with compromised immune system. Even if you do not personally know someone vulnerable, they are our patients too and need to be protected.


Hepatits A is transmitted through food & childcare situation and used to cause deaths every year prior to the widespread use of the vaccine. In 2018, a Hepatitis A outbreak has started in Missouri.


12,000 Reasons we recommend the HPV vaccine:


Gardasil or the HPV vaccine, in not derived from abortion-related cell lines. The purpose of this vaccine is to reduce the spread of the virus that causes cancer of the cervix and other cancers. Every year, over 4,000 women in the US will die from cervical cancer. Over 12,000 women will be newly diagnosed with cervical cancer.


Missouri DHSS Cervical Cancer Data
CDC United States Cancer Statistics Data


Please note that the CDC data on deaths and new cases lags about 3 years behind.

Our Immunization Schedule

  • Newborn

    Hep B (2)


    (2)Hepatitis B is routinely administered to newborns in hospital. This should definitely be done in infants born to mothers with unknown or positive Hepatitis B status. It should also be given if followup is uncertain. If this is done, this vaccine schedule would result in an extra Hepatitis B dose being given (at 4 months). However, the overall shot number would be equal to a Pentacel*-based regimen, since a reduced number of shots could be given in the Hib series if PedvaxHib is used. Both Engerix & Recombivax are morally acceptable.

  • 2 Months

    • Rotavirus (oral)
    • Pediarix (3) (Combination: DtaP, Hep B, IPV (4)
    • PCV
    • Hib (5)

    (3) Two combination vaccines are on the market for reducing shot number during infancy. Pediarix combines DtaP, Hepatitis B, and IPV. Sanofi-Pasteur’s Pentacel* combines DTaP, Hib, and IPV. The polio component of IPV is grown in MRC-5, an abortion related cell line.

    (4) If polio vaccine needs to be given individually, use IPOL.

    (5) The PedvaxHib (Merck) only requires 2 months, 4 months, 15months. ActHib & Hiberix both require 2,4,6,15months. None of these are morally objectionable.

  • 4 Months

    • Rotavirus (oral) (6)
    • Pediarix (Combination: DtaP, Hep B, IPV)
    • Hib
    • PCV

    (6) For the 3-dose rotavirus brand. There is also a 2-dose rotavirus brand. The 3 dose brand accommodates patients with latex precautions, including spina bifida patients.

  • 6 Months

    • Pediarix (Combination: DtaP, Hep B, IPV)
    • Hib
    • PCV

  • 12 Months

    • MMR*
    • Varicella (7)
    • Hep A (8)

    * Indicates that a vaccine or component of that vaccine was grown in an abortion related cell line. MMR, varicella, and hepatitis A have no ethical alternatives in the United States. Use to prevent serious communicable diseases in their individual and their spread in the community, including to vulnerable persons such as developing humans in the womb and immunosuppressed persons, constitutes a “proportionate cause” for a “very remote cooperation in evil” when no alternatives are available, per the 2005 document from the Pontifical Academy for Life on the matter of abortion related cell line use. Voicing objection by contacting manufacturers to develop ethical options is encouraged. A Catholic has a responsibility to use ethically developed vaccines whenever possible. A Catholic also has a duty, regardless of position, to voice objection to manufacturer and healthcare systems to make ethical vaccines available (Dignitas Personae, #34-35). For a parent or guardian, the keys are (1) use a Pediarix-based regimen instead of Pentacel in infancy, (2) At 4 years old, use Kinrix combo instead of Quadracel and (3) if individual polio needed, use IPOL.


    (7) In a family very concerned about shot number, ProQuad may be offered with an informed consent discussion of increased risk of side effects, specifically fever and 0.04% increased risk of febrile seizure at 12 months old. Risk for febrile seizure at 4 years old is very low and ProQuad may be used. (See reference)

    (8) The CDC estimates that hepatitis A resulted in ~100 deaths/year prior to the vaccine era. (See reference)

  • 15 Months

    • DtaP
    • Hib
    • PCV

  • 18 Months

    • Hep A*

    * Indicates that a vaccine or component of that vaccine was grown in an abortion related cell line. MMR, varicella, and hepatitis A have no ethical alternatives in the United States. Use to prevent serious communicable diseases in their individual and their spread in the community, including to vulnerable persons such as developing humans in the womb and immunosuppressed persons, constitutes a “proportionate cause” for a “very remote cooperation in evil” when no alternatives are available, per the 2005 document from the Pontifical Academy for Life on the matter of abortion related cell line use. Voicing objection by contacting manufacturers to develop ethical options is encouraged. A Catholic has a responsibility to use ethically developed vaccines whenever possible. A Catholic also has a duty, regardless of position, to voice objection to manufacturer and healthcare systems to make ethical vaccines available (Dignitas Personae, #34-35). For a parent or guardian, the keys are (1) use a Pediarix-based regimen instead of Pentacel in infancy, (2) At 4 years old, use Kinrix combo instead of Quadracel and (3) if individual polio needed, use IPOL.

  • 4 Years

    • Proquad* (Combination: MMR*, Varicella*)
    • Kinrix9 NOT Quadracel (Combination: DtaP, Polio)

    * Indicates that a vaccine or component of that vaccine was grown in an abortion related cell line. MMR, varicella, and hepatitis A have no ethical alternatives in the United States. Use to prevent serious communicable diseases in their individual and their spread in the community, including to vulnerable persons such as developing humans in the womb and immunosuppressed persons, constitutes a “proportionate cause” for a “very remote cooperation in evil” when no alternatives are available, per the 2005 document from the Pontifical Academy for Life on the matter of abortion related cell line use. Voicing objection by contacting manufacturers to develop ethical options is encouraged. A Catholic has a responsibility to use ethically developed vaccines whenever possible. A Catholic also has a duty, regardless of position, to voice objection to manufacturer and healthcare systems to make ethical vaccines available (Dignitas Personae, #34-35). For a parent or guardian, the keys are (1) use a Pediarix-based regimen instead of Pentacel in infancy, (2) At 4 years old, use Kinrix combo instead of Quadracel and (3) if individual polio needed, use IPOL.

  • 10 Years

    • HPV series

  • 11-18 Years

    • Meningococcal series
    • Varicella (if not received booster)*
    • MMR (if not received booster)*
    • TdaP

    * Indicates that a vaccine or component of that vaccine was grown in an abortion related cell line. MMR, varicella, and hepatitis A have no ethical alternatives in the United States. Use to prevent serious communicable diseases in their individual and their spread in the community, including to vulnerable persons such as developing humans in the womb and immunosuppressed persons, constitutes a “proportionate cause” for a “very remote cooperation in evil” when no alternatives are available, per the 2005 document from the Pontifical Academy for Life on the matter of abortion related cell line use. Voicing objection by contacting manufacturers to develop ethical options is encouraged. A Catholic has a responsibility to use ethically developed vaccines whenever possible. A Catholic also has a duty, regardless of position, to voice objection to manufacturer and healthcare systems to make ethical vaccines available (Dignitas Personae, #34-35). For a parent or guardian, the keys are (1) use a Pediarix-based regimen instead of Pentacel in infancy, (2) At 4 years old, use Kinrix combo instead of Quadracel and (3) if individual polio needed, use IPOL.

Resources

Footnotes

1 This vaccine schedule adheres to the CDC recommendations for immunizations. This schedule also adheres to standard schedule for well-child checks.

2 Hepatitis B is routinely administered to newborns in hospital. This should definitely be done in infants born to mothers with unknown or positive Hepatitis B status. It should also be given if followup is uncertain. If this is done, this vaccine schedule would result in an extra Hepatitis B dose being given (at 4 months). However, the overall shot number would be equal to a Pentacel*-based regimen, since a reduced number of shots could be given in the Hib series if PedvaxHib is used. Both Engerix & Recombivax are morally acceptable.

3 Two combination vaccines are on the market for reducing shot number during infancy. Pediarix combines DtaP, Hepatitis B, and IPV. Sanofi-Pasteur’s Pentacel* combines DTaP, Hib, and IPV. The polio component of IPV is grown in MRC-5, an abortion related cell line.

4 If polio vaccine needs to be given individually, use IPOL.

5 The PedvaxHib (Merck) only requires 2 months, 4 months, 15months. ActHib & Hiberix both require 2,4,6,15months. None of these are morally objectionable.

6 For the 3-dose rotavirus brand. There is also a 2-dose rotavirus brand. The 3 dose brand accommodates patients with latex precautions, including spina bifida patients.

7 In a family very concerned about shot number, ProQuad may be offered with an informed consent discussion of increased risk of side effects, specifically fever and 0.04% increased risk of febrile seizure at 12 months old. Risk for febrile seizure at 4 years old is very low and ProQuad may be used. (See reference)

8 The CDC estimates that hepatitis A resulted in ~100 deaths/year prior to the vaccine era. (See reference)

9 Kinrix and Quadracel are both combination vaccines for DtaP-IPV with a minimum age of 4 years. Sanofi-Pasteur’s polio component of Quadracel is grown in MRC-5 whereas in Kinrix, it is grown in the monkey vero cell line.

* Indicates that a vaccine or component of that vaccine was grown in an abortion related cell line. MMR, varicella, and hepatitis A have no ethical alternatives in the United States. Use to prevent serious communicable diseases in their individual and their spread in the community, including to vulnerable persons such as developing humans in the womb and immunosuppressed persons, constitutes a “proportionate cause” for a “very remote cooperation in evil” when no alternatives are available, per the 2005 document from the Pontifical Academy for Life on the matter of abortion related cell line use. Voicing objection by contacting manufacturers to develop ethical options is encouraged. A Catholic has a responsibility to use ethically developed vaccines whenever possible. A Catholic also has a duty, regardless of position, to voice objection to manufacturer and healthcare systems to make ethical vaccines available (Dignitas Personae, #34-35). For a parent or guardian, the keys are (1) use a Pediarix-based regimen instead of Pentacel in infancy, (2) At 4 years old, use Kinrix combo instead of Quadracel and (3) if individual polio needed, use IPOL.

**Effective mid-2020, Sanofi-Pasteur changed their manufacturing process to no longer use abortion-related cell lines. St. Teresa Pediatrics applauds this change.

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