In Clare Lazzuri’s Oct. 19 article “Be the face of St John Paul II – be not afraid,” she uses mask-wearing as an example of fear.
Here in B.C., Dr. Bonnie Henry’s consistent message to “be kind, be calm, be safe” is the opposite of “creating a culture of fear.”
During this pandemic, I have come to feel less that people are wearing masks out of fear, and more that they do so either out of consideration for those around them or because they are law-abiding citizens following the guidelines of health officials.
A better example of a culture of fear would be one where people feel they cannot trust each other or those in authority.
When we “cover up our faces,” I hope what we are teaching our children is not to fear, but rather that we can all make small sacrifices, like wearing an uncomfortable mask to help everyone get through this.
Natalia Lam
Richmond
In his Oct. 26 article “No ‘morally relevant’ link from abortion to vaccines,” Fabrizio Mastrofini quoted a document from the Pontifical Academy for Life which stated that morally relevant cooperation is excluded between those who use vaccines developed using cell lines from aborted babies and from the voluntary abortions themselves.
Nevertheless, is there not a moral duty to speak out against pharmaceutical companies and governments from permitting vaccines to be developed this way?
Geoff Moeller
Vancouver
I do not agree that the moral link from using voluntary aborted babies for the manufacture of vaccines is irrelevant.
If we put our personal lives first, we will find ways to justify immoral means to ‘moral’ ends, and the immoral means will become more common.
First it was abortion, but only in certain unusual circumstances. Now we have abortion on demand.
Then it was euthanasia, but only in extreme situations. Now we are talking about euthanasia for the mentally challenged.
We can quickly create situations where immoral acts are justified when we use a scale based on our perceived needs.
If we accept vaccines that were developed using aborted fetal tissue, why would manufacturers bother to develop non-fetal tissue vaccinations?
We need to put our energy, money, support, and prayers towards the development of vaccinations that do not use voluntary aborted fetal tissue, instead of accepting the current option.
Joan Davies
Coquitlam