After i had been at the hospital overnight. (i was so tired that when i bonked my head on that stupid tv, i almost cried) ~ That was the time they decided to grill me on our decision not to immunize my children. i decided to take the clearest route and tell him that for me it was an ethical decision ~ to which he replied that ethics can mean different things ~ (no great surprise to me... i know that for some people it's unethical that they use chicken embryos for vaccines). I told him that no, it was the aborted fetal tissue where i drew the line and that was unacceptable to me.. He then told me how he's seen children as sick as charter, the next week all (he's pantomiming their physical disability) twisted and unresponsive with not much hope of rehabilitation. He also told me that he's not sure about fetal tissue being used, but that i should make sure that my sources are accurate. i told him that i was sure, and that i was not going to make my decision based solely on fear (which is what i felt like he was trying to make me do). Here is a link to one of my sources if anyone is interested. There is more information in the links section of sojourners.
http://www.sojourners.ca/Default.aspx?tabid=350
All that said, it *is* a personal decision. While i believe that we should all be putting pressure on the health system to make more 'ethical' vaccines available in Canada, if some choose to immunize with what *is* availabe, that's a decision made, i'm sure, with fear and trembling & i can respect that even people who are prolife differ on where the responsiblity lies.
Here is the summary of the Vatican statement:
"To summarize, it must be confirmed that there is a grave responsibility to use alternative vaccines and to make a conscientious objection with regard to those which have moral problems. As regards the vaccines without an alternative, the need to contest so that others may be prepared must be reaffirmed, as should be the lawfulness of using the former in the meantime insomuch as is necessary in order to avoid a serious risk not only for one's own children but also, and perhaps more specifically, for the health conditions of the population as a whole -- especially for pregnant women The lawfulness of the use of these vaccines should not be misinterpreted as a declaration of the lawfulness of their production, marketing and use, but is to be understood as being a passive material cooperation and, in its mildest and remotest sense, also active, morally justified as an "extrema ratio" due to the necessity to provide for the good of one's children and of the people who come in contact with the children -- pregnant women. Such cooperation occurs in a context of moral coercion of the conscience of parents, who are forced to choose to act against their conscience or otherwise, to put the health of their children and of the population as a whole at risk. This is an unjust alternative choice, which must be eliminated as soon as possible."

This weekend our world stood still. Charter had an asthma attack that landed him in the hospital overnight. Here's the email i sent to my sisters.


"We had a terrifying weekend... The pre story is that Charter had a cough and was kind of tired all day on Saturday... It started to get worse around 5pm, and by 6pm he was working hard to breathe, that's when Neil and I decided we should get him to a walk in clinic. (we should have probably called 911) .
We phoned ben and karen (friends of ours) to see if they knew of a walk in that would be open and they gave us a couple of names, so we bundled Charter and Mollen into the vehicle and went. (neils' friend Trevor and his wife Glenda were here for a visit and we left the girls with them). He was breathing funny, but would respond and was too lethargic to walk to the vehicle. By the time we drove to both clinics and found out both were closed, we didn't know what to do. Charter sounded horrible and we didn't know where the closest emerg was. My cell phone rings, and it's ben. He phoned all the clinics and knew they'd be closed, and found the closest one that would be open, so got us the phone number and address. We went there and charter by this time was hardly responding and couldn't string words together. We got inside and he said he was going to puke, so i took him to the bathroom and he was passing out as i was holding him over the toilet. His little body was puking, but he wasn't even awake. The doctor called him in right away and told us he was suffocating and to take him to emerg of the rocky view hospital just down the road & they would fax his info. We got there, and he was still not really responding and his blood oxygen was really low. They gave him back to back doses of ventalin and there was no change. They took chest x-rays and couldn't see much other than a bit of streaking... the doc thought it was atypical pneumonia, but wanted him admitted in a paediatric unit, so Neil took Mollen home and i went in the ambulance with Charter to another hospital to be admitted. They kept him on oxygen all night and more doses of ventalin. This morning they decided he has atypical pneumonia *and* asthma. His breathing finally slowed (not normal, but not so scary) at about 4am. We left the hospital at around 3:30 sunday afternoon. Charter seems fine ~ a little tired and out of breath. i am a bit emotional, but fine too:) "



So, i'm looking at all this information the hospital gave us about asthma, and i'm looking at the contacts and thinking... the lung association... They're one of the 46 health care charities that support embryonic stem cell research... It's heart-wrenching. They're doing a work to help children like my son ~ who was gasping for air and fading before my eyes ~ and yet this same organization is lobbying the government supporting something that is moraly and ethically abhorrent. People ~ good people ~ are donating, thinking they are helping do good work, and their offerings are going to support a frankenstein, babies for parts ideology that they would never support if it wasn't disguised as the 'canadian lung association' at the door. We need to be so careful where we put our money. People look at you sideways when you say "no" to:

Acoustic Neuroma Association of Canada
Allergy/Asthma Information Association
Alzheimer Society of Canada
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Society of Canada (ALS Canada)
Asthma Society of Canada
Canadian AIDS Society
Canadian Breast Cancer Network
Canadian Cancer Society
Canadian Celiac Association
Canadian Child Care Federation
Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Canadian Diabetes Association
Canadian Down Syndrome Society
Canadian Hemochromatosis Society
Canadian Hemophilia Society
Canadian Institute of Child Health
Canadian Lung Association
Canadian Marfan Association
Canadian Mental Health Association
Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders (CORD)
Canadian Palliative Care Association
Canadian Porphyria Foundation Inc.
Canadian Public Health Association
Childhood Cancer Foundation – Candlelighters Canada
Easter Seals/March of Dimes National Council
Epilepsy Canada
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
Hepatitis C Society of Canada
Huntington Society of Canada
Kidney Foundation of Canada (The)
Lupus Canada
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada
Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada
National M.E./F.M. Action Network
National Network for Mental Health
Osteoporosis Society of Canada
Parkinson Society Canada
Psoriasis Society of Canada
The Canadian Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths
Sleep/Wake Disorders Canada
Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of Canada
The Arthritis Society
Thalassemia Foundation of Canada
Thalidomide Victims Association of Canada
Thyroid Foundation of Canada
Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada
YMCA Canada

but we can't be willing participants in this culture of death. If we can take a stand now, and say "no, my life, my child's life, my parent's life, is not worth the cost involved in the murder and canibalization of tiny, created in the image of God human beings" ~ we will be taking a stand for the future of our children's souls ~ which in my opinion, is so much more important than finding a cure for asthma.

paige

i've been working so hard on the website. You know, there's a big part of me that wonders if i like creating busy work for myself... or if there is any way that actions that we take... actually have an impact. i *know* that the biggest impact that i will probably ever have is the way i raise my little ones ~ and there is comfort in the knowledge that my life spent nurturing is valuable. i love being a mom.

My website is up... sparse, but coming along...
http://www.sojourners.ca