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Is It Ethical to Clone Animals?
The global market for cloning cats, dogs, and other pets reached $300 million in 2024 and has been projected to reach $1.5 billion by 2035. When it comes to the […]
Columns
Embryo Adoption: An Open Question?
When it comes to the plight of the hundreds of thousands of IVF embryos frozen in the United States and elsewhere, it is often claimed that the Catholic Church has […]
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Laws Cover Unethical Actions in Medicine
In recent decades, lawmakers have been pressured to provide legal cover in the form of “immunity from prosecution” for medical personnel who participate in various unethical practices. One involves physician-assisted […]
Perspective
Ethical Issues Involved with ‘Pregnancy Robots’
Reports emerged in August that the world’s first “pregnancy robot” was being developed in China. The concept prototype involved a humanoid form equipped with an artificial womb in its abdomen […]
Perspective
A Gift, but with an Expiration Date
Diagnosed in 1995 with the most aggressive form of brain cancer – known as glioblastoma multiforme – and given only a few months to live, Ben Williams, a professor of […]
Perspective
‘De-Extincting’ Long-Vanished Animal Species?
Several private companies have set out to “resurrect” extinct species using DNA and cloning technologies, with ongoing efforts to revive the dire wolf, wooly mammoth, dodo bird, and various other […]
Perspective
The Trump Executive Order on IVF
In mid-February, President Trump issued an executive order entitled, “Expanding Access to In Vitro Fertilization” (IVF), in which he stated, “My administration recognizes the importance of family formation, and as […]
Perspective
Getting ‘Death with Dignity’ Right
Nurses and doctors can encounter distressing images as death unfolds for their patients. Those approaching death may make odd bodily movements, give off stenches, or emit strange groans. Perhaps they […]
Perspective
Catholic Hospitals and ‘Gender Reassignment’ for Minors?
In October of 2024, a group known as Do No Harm released the Stop the Harm Database (STHD), a searchable internet resource that comprehensively catalogs sex change treatments performed between […]
Perspective
The Most Serious Miscalculation of All?
Physician-assisted suicide, according to its advocates, offers a good way to wrap up our life as we face extreme suffering. When we think we have reached the limit of what […]
Perspective
Poking the Hornet’s Nest of In Vitro Fertilization
A sweeping decision by the Alabama Supreme Court back in February sent shock waves through the world of assisted reproduction. Alabama Justice Jay Mitchell, writing on behalf of the court’s […]
Perspective
Surrogacy and the Selfish Commodification of Children
At the beginning of 2024, Pope Francis offered strong public criticism of surrogate motherhood. His willingness to speak out on this important topic has helped to pull surrogacy out of […]