Vaccines and Total Depravity

For the record: I can hardly wait to get vaccinated for COVID-19.  I’ll be happy to develop what immunity I can that way, so that I don’t get sick – or perhaps just “as sick as I otherwise would” – or even more importantly, pass it on to others.

But I also know that things happen in life.  And not all of them are good things.

People mean well.  They do their best.  They have good intentions.  They take precautions.  But then something unexpected results.  We call it the “Law of Unexpected Consequences.”

For me as a Christ-follower – of the “Calvinist” stripe, to be more specific – I understand that “Law of Unexpected Consequences” to sometimes be the result of sin in our world.  The Canons of Dordt called it Total Depravity.  Sin – and its brokenness – touch everything that humans are and everything that humans create.  Of course, not everything we do or make is bad, evil or dangerous.  I’m thankful for modern plumbing, modern medicine and big-screen TV’s – to name just a few.  But each of these have “unintended consequences” and not all of them are beneficial to everyone all the time.  We are broken people living in a broken world who create things. That is a reflection of being made in the “image of God.” We usually intend those things for good, but they are touched by our brokenness.  Unintended consequences can result, even with pure motives.

Including with vaccines.

So let us be honest about that:  The anxiously awaited COVID-19 vaccine will have some unintended consequences.  I expect most to be minor for most people.  Some consequences will be more problematic for some people.  I fear – and expect – that for a small fraction of people, the vaccine might even be fatal.

The question is not “Are there risks?”  The question is: “To the best of our knowledge, what are the risks?  And are they worth the benefits? And what is the risk/benefit of doing nothing?”  And then, there is the Law of Unintended Consequences.

So I am ready to be vaccinated, even as I understand the risks and the Law of Unintended Consequences.

All this comes to mind as the United Kingdom has approved and begun to administer a COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer.  Meanwhile, here in the United States, we will be waiting at least another two weeks for FDA approval.  Am I upset that the US is “in second place”?  Not really, and here’s why.

Part of this process is evaluating risk and potential consequences.  Our FDA has a history of being more thorough in this part of the process and as a result, taking longer getting medications to market than other countries.  I am willing to live with that though because I remember the drug thalidomide.  Let me point you to two references:

British doctors prescribed thalidomide for expectant mothers from 1958 to 1962 to control the symptoms of morning sickness. The drug, developed by a German firm, was used internationally as a sedative and hailed because overdose simply caused prolonged sleep, not death. – CLICK HERE

Thalidomide was first marketed in 1957 in West Germany, where it was available over the counter. When first released, thalidomide was promoted for anxiety, trouble sleeping, "tension", and morning sickness. While initially thought to be safe in pregnancy, concerns regarding birth defects arose in 1961 and the medication was removed from the market in Europe that year. The total number of people affected by use during pregnancy is estimated at 10,000, of whom about 40% died around the time of birth. Those who survived had limb, eye, urinary tract, and heart problems. Its initial entry into the US market was prevented by Frances Kelsey at the FDA.  (Emphasis mine.) The birth defects caused by thalidomide led to the development of greater drug regulation and monitoring in many countries. – CLICK HERE

Though I am anxious to get vaccinated so I can eventually shake hands with people, sing hymns without a mask and go to a restaurant, I’m willing to move slowly on this one and better evaluate risks and consequences.  I’ll keep my mask on, keep my distance and stay home for another two weeks.  Even three if that helps.

Until then, we are broken people living as best we can in a broken world, but aware of the Law of Unintended Consequences.  We’re sinners, who long for a Savior.  Come, Lord Jesus.