Why are tissues from aborted fetuses used to develop some vaccines?
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So let’s take a BIG step back here. When people talk about fetal cells being used in vaccines and other drugs, they are talking about fetal cell lines harvested back in the 70’s and 80’s – we **do not** use anything newer in medicine (at least in the US). These cells are thousands of generations removed from the original aborted fetus.
Now, with _that_ out of the way, we use these cell lines in one of two ways:
– We test the effects of the vaccine during early-stage trials so we get a sense of how human cells react without endangering a person
– We use them to grow the [viral vectors](https://www.nebraskamed.com/COVID/how-the-johnson-johnson-covid-19-vaccine-works) that will deliver the mRNA to your cells.
The answer is a bit more complex than it might seem. It is a highly charged subject with a great deal of well-intended misinformation.
The direct answer to your question is ‘sort of’..
Cell lines derived from 2 aborted fetuses in the 1960’s and 1 in 1985 are still used in vaccine development.
No new cell lines have been obtained since.
This article from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia gives you the detailed factual story.
https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center/vaccine-ingredients/fetal-tissues
Thing is no parent is going to risk miscarriage for the purpose of harvesting cells. In vitro testing is necessary in all drug trials and we need tissue to do that with. It’s not something that can be done any other way
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