Sexual atoms and molecules
A major issue in bioethics today involves “informed consent,” but some try to make everything about consent. This is especially notable when it comes to...
What young people could most profit from hearing about Marriage
Young people today experience various pressures and expectations that can make them anxious. In a recent essay, Professor Timothy P. O’Malley, of Notre Dame’s...
The foxes and the henhouse
Probably the biggest bioethics story of 2019 involved Dr. Jankui He (known to his associates as “JK”), a Chinese scientist who employed a new...
The ethics of pig to human organ transplants
Early this year, a Maryland man suffering from severe heart failure underwent a new experimental procedure, receiving a pig heart transplant. His medical team...
Countering Catholic Misinformation about Vaccines
Someone recently mentioned to me that he was not planning to get the COVID-19 vaccine. He told me he was concerned that RNA vaccines...
Christian girls and abortion
When Mother Teresa visited New Bedford in June 1995, she told those of us gathered at St. Lawrence Martyr Church: “Abortion is the greatest...
Accelerating vaccine development
Creating a new vaccine and bringing it to market typically requires more than a decade of research and clinical testing. Many companies and research...
The moral analysis of boxing
In 1996 when Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic flame on international television, the issue of sports-induced brain damage was raised to new prominence. One...
Should we take whatever vaccine is offered?
On March 1, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker told residents in Mattapan that when it comes to the various COVID-19 vaccines, “These are all very...
Thinking through the rationing of ventilators
When ventilators are in short supply, several key ethical principles can assist clinicians:
1) Ventilators should not be rationed based on categorical exclusions such as a patient’s age, disability (e.g. being paraplegic) or...
