Bioethics

What happens when parents hear the words, “Something may be wrong with your baby?” In this episode of Bioethics Babe, we sit down with board-certified neonatologist and pediatrician Dr. Robin Pierucci to unpack what really happens after a prenatal diagnosis. From life expectancy predictions and medical uncertainty to the emotional shock families experience, this conversation exposes the hidden pressures shaping decisions before a child is even born. Are parents being fully informed or unintentionally influenced? Drawing on decades of experience in the NICU, Dr. Pierucci founded Navigating Fetal Concerns, and reveals how diagnoses are communicated, where bias can enter the conversation, and why a diagnosis is not the same as a prognosis. We also explore the trauma families face, the Read More ›

On April 20, Wesley J. Smith appeared on Ave Maria in the Afternoon, hosted by Marcus B. Peter, to discuss his recent article, “Bioethicists Argue That an Unborn Baby Is Merely a ‘Gestator’s’ Body Part.” Smith explains how the authors of a recent Journal of Medical Ethics article employed philosophy to redefine human life, defying the established definitions of science. He also explores the political and legislative implications if this changed definition is accepted. “We can make metaphysical claims, we can make moral claims,” Smith told Peter, “but they should not be such that we deny basic biology and, of course, the claim of a soul does nothing of the kind. But the claim that this is a mere body Read More ›

What if we have been getting death wrong? For decades, modern medicine has relied on the concept of brain death, the idea that when the brain irreversibly stops functioning, the person has died. But what if that is not true? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Paul Byrne, neonatologist, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, past president of the Catholic Medical Association, and one of the leading critics of brain death, for a conversation that challenges one of the most fundamental assumptions in modern medicine. Early in his career, Dr. Byrne encountered a patient labeled “consistent with cerebral death.” He continued treatment. That patient went on to live, marry, and have children. Since then, Dr. Byrne has spent over 40 Read More ›

If we’re just matter, why do we matter? Modern bioethics is built on a question most people never stop to ask: What is a human being? Because the answer to that question isn’t abstract, it determines how we treat the most vulnerable people among us. From IVF and embryo selection, to assisted suicide and end-of-life care, to gene editing and transhumanism. We are already making decisions about who counts and who doesn’t. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Ashley Fernandes, a physician, bioethicist, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Associate Director of the Center for Bioethics at the Ohio State University, College of Medicine — to expose the deeper philosophical divide shaping modern medicine: Read More ›

On April 7, Wesley J. Smith participated in a Heritage Foundation-hosted discussion titled, “Organ Harvesting: Communist China’s Hideous Shop of Horrors.” He was joined by Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Jay Richards, Representative Chris Smith (R–NJ), Jan Jekielek (Senior Editor of The Epoch Times, host of “American Thought Leaders”), Ethan Gutmann, and Bob Moffit. While the majority of the conversation centered on the human rights abuses occurring in China, Smith warned the audience not to be blind to similar atrocities happening here in the West: [T]his is about what’s happening in China — let’s call that a 108-degree fever. But what’s happening in the West, along similar lines, is a 102-degree fever. So you have bioethicists in the most notable medical and Read More ›

On April 7, 2026, the Heritage Foundation will host a discussion among experts on the Chinese Communist Party’s practice of forced organ harvesting on its citizens. Wesley J. Smith, Chair and Senior Fellow of the Center on Human Exceptionalism and host of the Humanize podcast, will be among the list of panelists. Also presenting will be long-time Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Jay Richards. Other panelists include Representative Chris Smith (R–NJ), Jan Jekielek (Senior Editor of The Epoch Times, host of “American Thought Leaders”), Ethan Gutmann, and Bob Moffit. From The Heritage Foundation event description: They will examine reports of forced organ harvesting associated with the CCP, explore the broader human rights implications, and review current legislative initiatives in the U.S. Read More ›

Did birth control give women freedom or did it fundamentally change feminism itself? Before the 1960s sexual revolution, before the Pill became mainstream, Margaret Sanger was already advancing a radical idea: that women could not be free unless their fertility was controlled. She didn’t just promote contraception, she reframed it as essential to freedom, autonomy, and progress. But what if that idea didn’t actually expand freedom…what if it redefined womanhood? In this episode of Bioethics Babe, I sit down with Dr. Angela Franks, theologian, author of Margaret Sanger’s Eugenic Legacy: The Control of Female Fertility, to uncover the deeper story behind the birth control movement. We explore: This isn’t just about history. It’s about the ideas that shaped our culture Read More ›

Brave new world alert! Scientists used a machine deployed in organ transplant medicine to keep a surgically removed human uterus alive for one day, furthering the goal of being able to use donated uteri experimentally over long periods of time, including for gestation. From the MIT Technology story: The team members want to keep donated human uteruses alive long enough to see a full menstrual cycle. They hope this will help them study diseases of the uterus and learn more about how embryos burrow their way into the organ’s lining at the start of a pregnancy. They also hope that future iterations of their device might one day sustain the full gestation of a human fetus. The machine is technically Read More ›

Do cases of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is in jeopardy justify abortion? These are the hardest questions in the abortion debate: emotionally charged, deeply tragic, and often used to challenge the pro-life position. But how should we think about these cases from a medical, ethical, and human perspective? In this episode of Bioethics Babe, I sit down with Fr. Tad Pacholczyk, priest, neuroscientist, and Senior Ethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, to take on these difficult questions head-on. We explore: If you’ve ever wondered how to think clearly and compassionately about the hardest cases, tune in to this discussion. For Episode Resources, please visit the episode page here. For more information, the latest episodes, and additional Read More ›

An article in The Lancet decries the recent 17th World Conference on Bioethics, Medical Ethics, and Health Law for failing to condemn “genocide.” Of course, the authors are referencing Israel’s self-defense in Gaza. From, “Silence on Genocide at the World Conference on Bioethics:” Between Nov 24 and Nov 27, 2025, the International Chair in Bioethics held its 17th World Conference on Bioethics, Medical Ethics, and Health Law in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Despite being hosted in a nation whose President has vocally condemned the “genocide in Gaza” at the UN, the conference stood in stark contrast to its setting. No scheduled sessions discussed the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe, representing a profound disconnect between the event’s location and its content… If an organisation claiming Read More ›