The Christian and Immunizations

By David Stevens, MD, MA

Should Christians immunize their children? You may be thinking, “Of course! That isn’t even a controversial issue, except for some sects that believe that disease is God’s will, so Christians shouldn’t resist it.”

You’re right. The Bible teaches that preventing illness is good. Suffering and sickness are the result of the fall. (1 Cor. 11:30) God desires our health, and his love extends to our bodies (2 Pet. 3:9). The Bible emphasizes that children are a blessing from the Lord and that parents have the duty to love, train and protect them.

God’s creation is orderly and logical. He gave human beings the ability to reason and to use their minds to draw conclusions from observation. It is the Christian worldview that has allowed science to thrive. The Old Testament has a lot of health advice, much of it having to do with preventing disease. Christ, as the Great Physician, healed many. In fact, there are more recordings of Him healing than there are of Him preaching.

Godly reasoning reinforces Biblical teaching. Having spent eleven years in Africa as a doctor, I have seen tragic epidemics of whooping cough, polio, tetanus and other communicable diseases. Sixty years ago, polio, measles and other epidemics caused enormous suffering in this country. Vaccines have saved more lives than CT scanners and even antibiotics.

So where is the controversy for Christians and immunizations?

First is the moral issue of giving your children measles, mumps, German measles, hepatitis or chickenpox vaccine that may have been made in a cell culture created from an aborted fetus. Is there moral complicity and, if so, what degree of complicity should preclude vaccination? Some would say the end (benefits of vaccination) does not justify the means (abortion). The Bible clearly proscribes a utilitarian ethical foundation. We should not do evil so that good may result (Romans 3:8). It also teaches we must hate and oppose evil (Romans 12:9), but reminds us that we cannot totally separate ourselves from evil (1 Corinth 5:9-10). We are told to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21) and to seek wisdom in applying Biblical principles (James 1:2-5).

The Christian Medical Association has an excellent ethical statement on moral complicity , which gives good guidance on this issue. In giving vaccinations to our children we have the intent to do good, not evil. Giving them does not reward, perpetuate, justify, cooperate with or ignore the original evil. More children are not aborted because we use the vaccine, there is no better alternative to protect our children, and there is substantial risk of an even greater evil if we don’t immunize. Our children could be harmed or die. At the same time, we should (and CMA does) admonish vaccine companies to develop new production techniques, and to make new products without using aborted fetal tissue.

A more recent controversy swirls around the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine, which will become available in 2006 to immunize against this sexually transmitted disease. It will be given to 11-13 year old girls. The concern is whether or not giving this vaccine promotes sexual promiscuity.

HPV causes cervical cancer. It was the most common cause of cancer deaths in the 1930’s, before women were advised to get a yearly PAP smear to diagnose and treat abnormalities early. Last year, 700,000 women had abnormal PAP smears resulting in anxiety, treatment and expense. Almost 14,000 women had cervical cancer and close to 5,000 died. Seventy-five percent of sexually active adults have or had HPV. It is highly contagious and condoms do not prevent its transmission, despite the “safe sex” message that pervades our culture.

It is noble to treat disease, and even nobler to prevent it. Our job is not to punish people for their sinful behavior. As a doctor, I treat and prevent all sorts of diseases that are the result of sinful choices. Christ first protected the woman caught in adultery from the consequences of her behavior, and then told her to sin no more.

I would give the HPV vaccine to my unmarried daughter for the same reason I tell her to wear a seat belt when she drives. I taught her not to speed as well as Biblical abstinence until marriage. But just as I cannot guarantee that someone else won’t drive recklessly and hit her car, I can’t guarantee that she won't be infected by HPV if she is raped or that her future husband will not bring HPV into their marriage from a sinful choice he made. I give the vaccine while teaching abstinence. As the Italian proverb says, “The best armor is to stay out of range.”

Christians can Biblically and ethically use and recommend vaccines to protect themselves, their children and others. Prevention is still better than cure.