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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
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FACT BRIEF

Can COVID vaccines cause birth defects when given to pregnant women?

By Sarah Thompson
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NO

People on social media are making false claims — terrifying to prospective parents — that the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine can cause changes in the DNA of a baby she is carrying and result in a "mutant baby" born with extra limbs or other deformities.

Non-contemporaneous photos of real children with birth defects who were born years before the mRNA COVID vaccines and in one case, a picture of a baby with a photoshopped tail, are being used alongside these false claims.

However, the mRNA in COVID vaccines does not enter the nucleus of human cells, where the DNA is, and does not alter the DNA of the mother or her unborn baby. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not identified any safety concerns for pregnant people who were vaccinated or for their babies.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
The Mirror (UK) Baby born with 4 legs and 3 hands after two triplets become conjoined in womb
Daily Mail Baby girl born covered head to toe in hair after inheriting rare Werewolf Syndrome gene
MotherToBaby Fact sheet: COVID-19 vaccines
Centers for Disease Control COVID-19 Vaccines for People Who Would Like to Have a Baby
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.