Comments on: Government vs. Conscience http://catholicexchange.com/2009/04/30/118119/ Catholic News, Catholic Articles, Catholic Apologetics, Catholic Content, Catholic Information Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:46:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.2 By: Terri Kimmel http://catholicexchange.com/2009/04/30/118119/comment-page-1/#comment-39638 Terri Kimmel Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:51:12 +0000 http://catholicexchange.com/?p=118119#comment-39638 My diocese has just enacted a policy that invalidates the state-recognized conscience exemption for childhood vaccination. It's important to note that the state will accept a conscience exemption, but the diocese will not. Our diocese's requirements are more invasive to parental authority than even the secular authorities. Varicella vaccines (for chickenpox) originate with cells harvested from aborted babies. While Catholic scholars have debated the morality of using these vaccines and concluded that using them for preventing disease is morally neutral, I find it morally unacceptable nevertheless. Chickenpox is no more life-threatening than the flu, and the flu vaccine is not mandatory. Despite the fact that there is precedent for the Vatican defending the conscience rights of parents with vaccines, I'll have to fight this. My older kids are already vaccinated (years ago), but my younger ones aren't. I really have better things to do than grapple with the hypocrisy of this issue. My diocese has just enacted a policy that invalidates the state-recognized conscience exemption for childhood vaccination. It’s important to note that the state will accept a conscience exemption, but the diocese will not. Our diocese’s requirements are more invasive to parental authority than even the secular authorities.

Varicella vaccines (for chickenpox) originate with cells harvested from aborted babies. While Catholic scholars have debated the morality of using these vaccines and concluded that using them for preventing disease is morally neutral, I find it morally unacceptable nevertheless. Chickenpox is no more life-threatening than the flu, and the flu vaccine is not mandatory.

Despite the fact that there is precedent for the Vatican defending the conscience rights of parents with vaccines, I’ll have to fight this. My older kids are already vaccinated (years ago), but my younger ones aren’t. I really have better things to do than grapple with the hypocrisy of this issue.

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