When I was growing up my parents had a favorite saying that always irritated me. When given a direction or instruction, my response would sometimes be, "Why?" And their favorite retort was, "Because I said so!"
Now that I have my own children and grandchildren I fully understand why my mom and dad said that so frequently. They were the parents, the authorities, and I was simply a child who should learn not to challenge my parents when their instructions were designed to protect me from harm or guide me away from possible wrongdoing.
Parents are the source of guidance for their children, but many times we find that the federal government attempts to assume that role when dealing with adults who are fully capable of making ethical decisions on their own and should never be forced to do things that are perceived to be a violation of their faith or contradictory to what they know is good.
Such is the case with Officer Joseph J. Healy of the U. S. Coast Guard. Officer Healy does not want to be forced to receive a vaccine he knows is only available because the cells of aborted children were available prior to the manufacture of the vaccine.
The news reports tell us that among the vaccines required by the Coast Guard is the Hepatitis A vaccine. This is a vaccine derived from cells taken from the lung tissue of an aborted child who was killed at 14 gestational weeks of age.
When Officer Healy, a Catholic, learned how the vaccine was manufactured and where the material came from he attempted to exercise his rights and he sought a religious exemption. His request was denied.
Enter the Alliance Defense Fund, a group of attorneys who not only know and understand what it means to be a Christian in today's topsy-turvy society but are willing to defend those who stand up for what is truly right and just. We pray that Officer Healy wins his case and we thank the good Lord that Matt Bowman, ADF legal counsel, is on the scene.
