ORLANDO, Fla. (CNS) -- Debi Vinnedge of Largo, a self-proclaimed "pro-life mom," received the "Evangelium Vitae" award for outstanding service to the pro-life movement during the Catholic Medical Association's 83rd annual education conference.

Vinnedge is founder and executive director of the nonprofit Children of God for Life, which is considered a world leader in the campaign for ethical vaccines and medicines that do not use cell lines derived from aborted human fetuses.

Her organization also leads consumer campaigns against corporations that fund research that utilizes any human tissue or cell lines derived from embryos or use such cell lines in their products.

In an interview with Catholic News Service, Vinnedge said she was upset when she learned about embryonic stem-cell research back in 1999, and reading about that issue led her to discover that some vaccines were being produced from cell lines derived from aborted fetuses.

Knowing her children had had such vaccines, she said, "I made a promise to God that I would do everything I could" to stop the development of vaccines.

She praised Richard M. Doerflinger, associate director of the U.S. bishops' Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, for his leadership on the issue, saying he "became my mentor." The website for Vinnedge's organization, www.cogforlife.org, lists close to 20 vaccines the group says were developed by means the Catholic Church considers morally illicit.

The Catholic Medical Association, she said, is a major supporter of Children of God for Life's campaign, and that the number of individual supporters has grown to 635,000. Vinnedge has partnered with Theresa Deisher, who has a doctorate in molecular and cellular physiology and is founder of Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute in Seattle. The institute does not use embryonic stem-cell lines, fetal tissue or morally illicit materials in its research.

"While I received this award for my work in the pro-life movement," Vinnedge said, "it is only by the grace of God. I am proud to be a fool for Christ and I will not quit until we put an end to using aborted fetal remains in medicines and as tools for profit."

She received the "Evangelium Vitae" award from U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, prefect of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature, who made the presentation Sept. 25 after his address. His keynote opened the three-day conference, which drew 600 participants to Orlando.

Vinnedge told CNS that Cardinal Burke "has been a supporter of our efforts for many years" and the Orlando conference was the first time she had met him in person. She described him as "the light burning brightly miles away in the Vatican (who) gave many parents -- and me -- the courage to fight the good fight."

Other conference speakers included Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry.

"The culture of life is challenged, but at the same time it is an opportunity to witness -- to the culture of life and conscience formation," he said in his remarks. "When the person listens to his conscience, he can hear God speaking."