Pope Leo XIV in the short time since his election has already expressed himself forcefully on several bioethical topics. Unsurprisingly, he emphasizes the human dignity of every person with special attention to the most vulnerable, notably the unborn, elderly, and sick. He has also brought up the challenge of artificial intelligence several times. Prior to his election as pope he spoke clearly on the ethical problems associated with gender ideology and the “homosexual lifestyle.”
Read MoreOf very deep concern to my wife and I, along with the nearly one in seven couples who struggle with infertility, is the woeful lack of knowledge about restorative reproductive medicine (RRM) among medical professionals and others who almost always promote in vitro fertilization (IVF) instead. The good news is that something practical and positive is being done about it. This Spring, the state of Arkansas became the first to pass into law the “Reproductive Empowerment and Support Through Optimal Restoration RESTORE Act.”
Read MoreSomething often misunderstood by secular thinkers is that faithful Catholics and others with rightly formed consciences can never engage in formal cooperation with the evil actions of another person. Recently, a court in Illinois ruled that “if patients request abortions, at a minimum, the State can require medical professionals to provide information of other medical professionals whom they reasonably believe might perform abortions.”
Read MoreThe new pastoral framework from the Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life, “Life Is Always a Good” was released on the 30th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s remarkable encyclical Evangelium Vitae.De-extinction, using genetic technology to bring back to life an extinct species, is now a possibility, and the bioethical questions surrounding this practice are therefore more urgent. Colossal Biosciences made headlines with its “resurrection” of the dire wolf recently after an estimated 10,000 years of extinction.
Read MoreThe new pastoral framework from the Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life, “Life Is Always a Good” was released on the 30th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s remarkable encyclical Evangelium Vitae.
Read MoreThere is perhaps no bioethical topic more hotly debated among Catholics than the morality of adopting frozen embryos. This issue arose after the unequivocal condemnation of the practice of in vitro fertilization (IVF) by the Instruction Donum Vitae issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1987.
Read MoreThe recent symposium on brain death organized by The National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC), The Center for Law & the Human Person at the Columbus School of Law of The Catholic University of America (CUA), and the Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics at Georgetown University achieved a remarkable successThe Church has moved uncharacteristically rapidly in issuing an important doctrinal note, Antiqua et Nova, concerning Artificial Intelligence or (AI).
Read MoreThe Church has moved uncharacteristically rapidly in issuing an important doctrinal note, Antiqua et Nova, concerning Artificial Intelligence or (AI).
Read MoreBishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia released a pastoral letter entitled “The Christian Family, In Vitro Fertilization, and Heroic Witness to True Love” (January, 2025). In a relatively short text, it treats in a compassionate but authoritative way the thorny and misunderstood topic of in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Read MoreAmerica deserves the truth when it comes to abortion statistics. I recently attended a meeting/retreat for pro-life lawmakers and organizations in Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania.
Read MoreFrom 1974–2016 the US had a series of official commissions or councils of scholars to study bioethical topics and advise Congress and presidential administrations on policy.
Read MoreTransplanting the Womb: A Catholic Bioethical Analysis, by Andrew S. Kubick, PhD, provides a thorough analysis of the ethical ramifications of uterine transplantation from the Catholic tradition’s perspective as well as secular viewpoints.
Read MoreThere are 26 US states that allow citizen-initiated ballot measures, and they often center on ethically charged issues like abortion, assisted suicide, or even legalizing recreational marijuana. 2024 saw a record 10 state ballot initiatives concerning abortion and one on assisted suicide.
Read MoreThe Biden-Harris administration has proposed a new Federal Rule that would mandate insurance coverage of over-the-counter contraceptives and thus trample on the religious freedom rights and medical ethics of those who object to being forced to subsidize contraception.
Read MoreContemporary Bioethics: Catholic Wisdom for a Confused Culture, the latest book from The National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC), provides some key answers and updates in the fascinating and troubling world of bioethics.
Read MoreOn his flight back from his recent pastoral visit to Asia, Pope Francis had an informal in-flight press conference. An American journalist, Anna Matranga, from CBS News, tried to draw a moral equivalence between supporting abortion and deporting immigrants with the following question: “With the US elections coming up, what advice would you give a Catholic voter who must decide between one candidate who is in favor of the interruption of pregnancy and another who wants to deport 11 million migrants?”
Read MoreMedical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) is the official term in Canada for euthanasia that was legalized in 2016. The number of people dying at the hands of a doctor or even nurse practitioner there has grown every year and in 2022 reached the milestone of being the 5th leading cause of death in Canada.
Read MoreThe Federal Government’s General Services Administration (GSA) has issued a new final rule, “Federal Management Regulation; Updating the FMR with Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Language,” that will become effective October 21, 2024. It is one more example of the Biden-Harris Administration’s strong push to promote transgenderism.
Read MoreThe Federal Government’s General Services Administration (GSA) has issued a new final rule, “Federal Management Regulation; Updating the FMR with Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Language,” that will become effective October 21, 2024. It is one more example of the Biden-Harris Administration’s strong push to promote transgenderism.
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