Perspective
Spiritual lessons from the pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has left many of us with a great deal of uncertainty: uncertainty about how contagious the virus is and about the best way to treat it; uncertainty […]
Perspective
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 groups are working overtime to shorten […]
Perspective
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. […]
Perspective
A hundred love letters
In a recent essay in the Wall Street Journal, Kimberly Cutter chronicled the death of her father by suicide. As he struggled with rapidly progressing prostate cancer, he lost more […]
Perspective
Christian girls and abortion
When Mother Teresa visited New Bedford, Massachusetts, in June 1995, she told those of us gathered at St. Lawrence Martyr Church: “Abortion is the greatest evil of today.” Never one […]
Perspective
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 technology called CRISPR/Cas9 to […]
Perspective
Medicine and a ‘sense of the sacred’
As clergy, we touch upon very holy realities when we baptize, consecrate the Eucharist, give absolution to sinners or anoint the sick. These special moments engage divine grace in deep […]
Perspective
Pushing back against evil
During a recent speech in Texas, I mentioned that “Drag Queen Story Hours” are being sponsored by local public libraries across the country. Toddlers and kids are brought in and […]
Perspective
Palliative sedation and nearing death
Because suffering almost always imposes itself on us during life, and especially at the end of life, it can be helpful to reflect on the need to accept some personal […]
Perspective
Contradictory suicide messaging
In July 2014, police found the body of 18-year-old Conrad Roy inside his truck in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, having died from carbon monoxide poisoning. As the case unfolded, it became apparent […]
Perspective
An authentic democracy
Those of us who have grown up within the womb of a democratic society may not always recognize how radical the idea behind such a society actually is, nor how […]
Perspective
Securing authentic children’s rights
Children require extensive support and protection to meet their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. They are uniquely dependent on their parents because they are particularly vulnerable. Often they are unable […]