Direct abortion is never ethically acceptable from a Catholic perspective. The grave intrinsic evil can be made even worse, however, under some circumstances. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found ways to do so with its approval of and subsequent loosening of restrictions on mifepristone or so-called medication abortions. The National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC) recently joined an amicus curiae or “friend of the court” brief in support of a reversal of the FDA’s approval of mifepristone as a drug for causing abortions.

The Credibility Crisis at the FDA

An unfortunate result of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been a crisis of credibility of many government, scientific, and health care institutions. There is neither time nor space to explore the issue here. I will focus instead on how the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is adding fuel to this crisis. The FDA recently changed its Drug Facts Label for Plan B One Step (PBOS), known to the public as Plan B “emergency contraception,” in ways that create suspicion that this process was not so much guided by objective scientific facts as it was by political pressure and other extraneous factors.

The Verdict on COVID Vaccine Mandates and the Common Good

The New York Supreme Court declared the state COVID-19 vaccine mandate for medical staff “null and void,” striking it down. This is especially significant since this is not Florida but liberal New York. A big part of the reasoning behind the ruling was the now-acknowledged scientific fact that the various COVID vaccines do not stop transmission of the disease. This undercut the main basis for the mandate, that it was a major public health benefit.

The Duty to Care and Compassion Fatigue

There are disturbing reports of a small number of health workers, primarily physicians, refusing to see or treat unvaccinated persons.

COVID, The Common Good, Conscience, and Charity

Each and every person’s moment of death is of the highest significance. The Church has always focused with the greatest zeal on bringing the sacraments and every kind of spiritual support possible to the dying. That was the background for the Ars Moriendi, or The Art of Dying book, composed in the late Middle Ages, probably by a Dominican friar.

Vaccinations and School-Aged Children

In late 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the first COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use in adults. In May 2021, the Pfizer vaccine became the first authorized for children as young as 12. The threshold may be lower by the start of the new school year this fall. How can parents begin to think through a vaccination decision for children?

Discernment and COVID Vaccines

There is a Christian and very specifically Catholic wisdom concerning the human body and human sexuality.

St. Joseph, Patron of the Church and of the Dying, Pray for Us!

I was thrilled when the Church proclaimed a year of St. Joseph from December 8, 2020, to December 8, 2021. In his apostolic letter Patris corde (With a Father’s Heart), Pope Francis urges us “to increase our love for this great saint, . . . to implore his intercession and to imitate his virtues and his zeal.” We need St. Joseph more than ever in the midst of this COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Vital Importance of Conscientious Discernment

Making good conscientious discernments is one of the most important tasks of every person. If we cannot see clearly what is right or wrong, or possess the inner strength to pursue what is right, we can expect serious trouble to follow. The worst possibility is our own eternal separation from God in hell or our leading others into this calamity.

The Right Not to be Forced to Die Alone

As the historic COVID-19 pandemic is intensifying worldwide and draconian emergency measures are being reinstituted in Europe and elsewhere, I see an urgent need to repeat a defense of the right of patients not to be forced to die alone in hospitals or nursing homes.

Discerning Ordinary vs. Extraordinary Means in Catholic Bioethics

One of the most important tasks in bioethics is distinguishing between ordinary and extraordinary means when it comes to medical care. The reason this distinction is so vital is that Catholics have a moral obligation to receive ordinary care for themselves and give it to others. What is deemed to be extraordinary is morally optional; persons can choose if they do or do not want to receive such care.

Catholics, Bioethics & Voting

Catholics, like all other citizens of the United States of America, have a duty to participate in our representative form of government by informing themselves about the issues and stances of candidates and then voting.

Samaritanus bonus

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) recently issued a letter, Samaritanus bonus: on the care of persons in the critical and terminal phases of life. This document from the Church provides important guidance about the Catholic view of end of life care. It notes with regret that we live in an age when euthanasia and assisted suicide are growing threats and temptations to people all over the world.

In Catholic Bioethics All Human Lives Are Precious

The difference between the Catholic perspective on the dignity and rights of human persons and those of many secular and liberal thinkers seems to be widening. The COVID-19 pandemic and recent events have only served to make the contrast even more stark between truly Catholic health care and other visions of public health or medicine.

COVID-19 Vaccines

It is my fervent prayer that no successful COVID-19 vaccine will emerge that was developed with the use of ethically tainted cell lines.

The Ethics of Healthy Sleep in Hospitals

Modern medicine seems to theoretically understand the importance of sleep for our health. But frequently hospital settings do not prioritize this vital need of patients. Catholic health care and Catholic bioethics can take a lead in changing this.

Shocking Violations of Religious Liberty Rights

The Church must demand that fundamental rights be respected. A crisis is not an excuse for human rights violations. Rather it calls for greater accommodation and compassion for believers in danger of death, who may need a priest even more than a doctor as they prepare to meet their Maker.

Will the Cure Be Worse Than the Disease?

The global response to COVID-19 is a unique moment of unity and solidarity when humanity has mobilized to save lives. However, as scientists race to develop a cure, we cannot silently assent to the development of vaccines and treatments using cell lines derived from aborted fetuses.The problem of tolerating or even promoting evil in science and medicine will only be resolved through strong engagement to demand moral options both by individuals and institutions.

What Bad Science and Medicine Can Do to Our Souls

The pandemic is not a good excuse to put aside our ethical and moral principles. We must rather uphold them more strongly, as they will help us to come through these trying times well. If we allow scientific research to be done in an unethical way, or permit patients to be unjustly discriminated against in triage protocols and so on, we shall emerge from this crisis ashamed of what we allowed the response to the pandemic to do to our values.

Temptations Prowl the World as We Stay In

When individuals take strong emotions like fear and mistake them for or convert them into sexual arousal, it can have very detrimental effects because a person in the grip of strong emotions is not thinking clearly. We should be aware of this phenomenon in order to stand firm against it. What are some ways we can resist?

Messages from Our President and President Emeritus