Dr. Aaron Kheriaty on COVID vaccine mandates, conscience rights, and medical ethics
We live in a time in which coercion in public health policy threatens to corrupt medical ethics. Efforts to combat the pandemic acerbated this trend — for example, vaccine mandates — but it did not start with COVID. For years, the medical establishment has been at war with “medical conscience,” that is, pushing polices that would force doctors to participate in abortion, assisted suicide, and transgender transition interventions—even when they have religious objections or don’t wish to participate because they accept the maxims of the Hippocratic Oath. Meanwhile, Catholic hospitals are under unprecedented threat to force these important institutions to adopt the ethics of secular medicine. Dr. Aaron Kheriaty is at the center of these contentious social controversies. A Professor of Psychiatry at University of California Irvine School of Medicine, Dr. Kheriaty joins Wesley to discuss the federal lawsuit he filed when told to either accept the COVID vaccine or face the loss of his job — even though he previously had recovered from the disease and had natural immunity against further infection. Kheriaty discusses the details of his case, the reasons he has for resisting the vaccine specifically, and the campaign within the medical establishment to force doctors who believe in the Hippocratic Oath or accept a “pro-life” philosophy to choose between their profession and their consciences. It is an episode you won’t want to miss. Human Flourishing (substack.com) Articles | Aaron Kheriaty, MD Questioning Vaccine Mandates | Wesley J. Smith | First Things In Defense of Medical Conscience Rights by Wesley J. Smith (plough.com)
Jim Palmer of the Orange County Rescue Mission on causes and cures for America’s homelessness crisis
In this episode of Humanize, Wesley J. Smith speaks with Jim Palmer, the president of the Orange County Rescue Mission about the many causes and potential cures of America’s seemingly intractable homeless crisis. It is a crucial, if disturbing, conversation that touches upon the most existential needs of people and our mutual responsibilities to each other. Homelessness has reached crisis proportions in which even our most prosperous cities — such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle — witness thousands of people living in squalid tent encampments lining streets that provide scant shelter for people that many of us would rather ignore. It’s all such a mess, it is tempting to throw up one’s hands in despair. But understanding the causes of homelessness is the key to solving the crisis. Palmer describes the role government policy plays in creating and perpetuating homelessness, he reveals how addiction and mental health issues culminate with people living in a tent on the street. But all is not lost. There are many reasons for hope. People can return to self-sufficiency and healthy functioning when they voluntarily receive compassionate and loving engagement under “tough love “policies that require people to refrain from using drugs and help themselves in an environment of structured and loving support. Palmer describes the work of rescue missions and offers an optimistic assessment of what can be accomplished — if only regulators would step out of the way. Related The Problem With “Housing First” According to Baum and Burnes Rescue Mission | Providing hope to the homeless in our Communities. Citygate Network
Dr. Ira Byock on Living Well, Dying Well, and Proper Care Throughout Life
Dr. Ira Byock, Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, joins Wesley J. Smith on Humanize. Dr. Byock is a leading palliative care physician, author, and public advocate for improving care through the end of life. Dr. Byock is an acknowledged visionary and pioneer in palliative care who has made important contributions as a clinician, author and educator. He is founder and serves as chief medical officer of the Institute for Human Caring, a component of Providence St. Joseph Health. The Institute drives transformation in clinical systems and culture to make caring for whole persons the new normal. The Institute for Human Caring’s change strategies produce measurable and scalable improvements in health care quality and efficiency. Dr. Byock has been involved in hospice and palliative care since 1978. His research has contributed to conceptual frameworks for the lived experience of illness along a continuum from suffering to wellbeing; measures for subjective quality of life during illness; and counseling methods to support life completion. He is a past president of the Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. From 1996 to 2006 he directed Promoting Excellence in End-of-Life Care, a national Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program that developed prototypes for concurrent palliative care of people with life-threatening conditions. From 2003 through July 2013, he directed the palliative medicine program at Dartmouth- Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. He continues to be an active emeritus professor of medicine and community & family medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Dr. Byock has authored numerous articles in academic journals. His first book, Dying Well, (1997) has become a standard in the field of hospice and palliative care. The Four Things That Matter Most, (2004) is widely used as a counseling tool within palliative care as well as pastoral care. The Best Care Possible (2012) tackles the crisis that surrounds illness and dying in America and the transformation that is possible. Dr. Byock lectures nationally and internationally. He has been a featured guest on national television and radio programs, including CBS’ 60 Minutes (on three separate occasions), PBS News Hour, Fox and Friends, and NPR’s All Things Considered, Talk of the Nation, and On Being.
Gary Francione on Animal Rights, Veganism, Abortion, and the Future
Is animal rights a subversive threat to human exceptionalism, or is it the next necessary step in society’s moral growth — as its adherents claim? Today’s episode of Humanize features a respectful conversation between Wesley and the animal rights philosopher Gary Francione, the leader of what is known as the “Abolitionist Movement,” that seeks to end all instrumental use of animals by human beings. Is meat eating an act of violence, as Francione contends — or are we naturally omnivores that benefit nutritionally from eating meat? Indeed, is meat eating just a matter of “taste,” or — as Smith argues — part of the “natural” human condition that goes back to the days of our living in the cave? Would any other species give up a natural diet, and if not, doesn’t that mean humans are indeed exceptional? Or is mere sentience or consciousness the proper measure of moral worth? Is the “animal welfare” approach to our treatment of animals best and moral, or are we duty-bound to respect the rights of animals not to be property? Indeed, is it unacceptable “speciesism” to judge our treatment of animals differently than we would if the same acts were done to a human? These are important issues that cut to the heart of what it means to be human and bear directly on our responsibilities as moral beings. It is a conversation from two radically differing philosophical perspectives that you won’t want to miss. Animal Rights The Abolitionist Approach – …and Abolition Means Veganism! Books – Animal Rights The Abolitionist Approach A Rat Is a Pig Is a Dog Is a Boy: The Human Cost of the Animal Rights Movement: Smith, Wesley J.
Donna Rice Hughes of ‘Enough Is Enough’ on Porn, Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), and Healing Our Culture
Pornography has become a scourge in the United States. Today on Humanize, Wesley J. Smith speaks with internet safety and anti-obscenity activist Donna Rice Hughes. Donna and Wesley have a mature discussion about one of the great affronts to human dignity, which is pornography. Donna discusses the impact porn has on children—both as victims of child pornographers and as consumers of adult content that they access on the Internet. She describes how pornography is a major cause of social dislocation, leading to divorce, abuse, rape, and a breakdown in healthy sexual relationships. Wesley and Donna discuss how the obscenity industry is a major driver of human trafficking and how “free” online internet sites lure people into viewing ever more dark and violent images. Donna describes ways to keep children safe from pornography on the Internet, warns against the pornification of popular culture, and offers compassionate advice about how those who are addicted to pornography can escape their bondage. This is a must-hear program about a too little discussed cause of familial breakdown and cultural dysfunction. Enough Is Enough’s Internet Safety 101 website: https://internetsafety101.org/ Pornography 101 (found on above website – has links to pornography research, stats, and more: Internet Safety 101: Pornography 101 Cycle of Abuse (pornography is a fueling factor into other forms of exploitation): Internet Safety 101: The Cycle of Abuse EIE’s Petition to US DOJ asking them to investigate and prosecute Pornhub for a trifecta of US violations (17K signors to date): Demand DOJ Prosecute Pornhub & MindGeek for U.S. Law Violations: Child Porn, Trafficking Content AND Obscene Pornography! | CitizenGO
Bobby Schindler on Terri Schiavo, protecting at-risk persons, and true healthcare
This week on Humanize, Wesley interviews Bobby Schindler. Schindler came to international prominence when he and his family launched a multi-year legal and public campaign to save his sister, Terri Schiavo’s, life. After her death by court-ordered dehydration, the family launched the Terri Schiavo Life and Hope Network that advocates for the medically vulnerable, which Bobby currently leads. Wesley and Bobby discuss Terri’s life, the campaign to prevent her from having tube-supplied food and water removed, the bias against the family repeatedly exhibited in the media, what people don’t know about the controversy, and the misconceptions about the federal law passed in an unsuccessful attempt to save her life. They also discuss the current work of the Network, and Bobby’s involvement in the Jahi McMath “brain death” case, as well as the Charlie Gard controversy, in which a UK court-ordered life support removed from a terminally ill baby against his parents, wishes—and also, refused to allow Charlie’s parents to take their son to another medical center willing to provide care.
Jennifer Lahl on ‘Breeders,’ ‘Trans Mission,’ and the ethical and human rights threats promoted in our culture
Jennifer Lahl joins Wesley J. Smith to speak on her work with The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network and her films including “Breeders: A Subclass of Women?” and “Trans Mission: What’s the Rush to Reassign Gender?” as well as other ethical and human rights threats promoted in our culture. In this week’s episode, Jennifer describes what she learned as a pediatric intensive care nurse that has contributed to her work defending human dignity as one of the world’s most prominent critics of radical reproductive technologies. She and Wesley also discuss the dangers presented to young women who donate their eggs for IVF, the eugenics implications of paying college women for their ova, and the exploitation of poor women in the surrogacy industry. They also delve into the dangers presented to children by the transgender movement. She also describes the strange political bedfellow coalition between feminists and pro-life women that has come together to protect those most at risk from Big Fertility and the transgender movement. Ms. Lahl is founder and president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network. Lahl couples her 25 years of experience as a pediatric critical care nurse, a hospital administrator, and a senior-level nursing manager with a deep passion to speak for those who have no voice. Lahl’s writings have appeared in various publications including Cambridge University Press, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Dallas Morning News, and the American Journal of Bioethics. As a field expert, she is routinely interviewed on radio and television including ABC, CBS, PBS, and NPR. She is also called upon to speak alongside lawmakers and members of the scientific community, even being invited to speak to members of the European Parliament in Brussels to address issues of egg trafficking; she has three times addressed the United Nations during the Commission on the Status of Women on egg and womb trafficking. She serves on the North American Editorial Board for Ethics and Medicine. In 2009, Lahl was associate producer of the documentary film Lines That Divide: The Great Stem Cell Debate, which was an official selection of the 2010 California Independent Film Festival. She made her writing and directing debut producing the documentary film Eggsploitation, which has been awarded Best Documentary by the California Independent Film Festival and has sold in more than 30 countries. An updated and expanded version of Eggsploitation was released in the Fall of 2013. She is also Director, Executive Producer, and Co-Writer of Anonymous Father’s Day (2011), a documentary film exploring the stories of women and men who were created by anonymous sperm donation. In 2014 she completed what is now a trilogy of films on the ethics of third-party reproduction with Breeders: A Subclass of Women?, which focuses on surrogacy. In July 2015, she released a documentary short Maggie’s Story, which follows one woman’s egg donation journey. Compassion and Choice: Denied (2016) is a short documentary on Physician Assisted Suicide. Lahl’s next feature film, #BigFertility was released in the Fall of 2018. Her most recent film, Trans Mission: What’s the Rush to Reassign Gender? was released in June. All of her films are available for free streaming on The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network YouTube channel.
Dr. Charles Camosy on Dignity, Fundamental Human Equality, and Secular Medicine
Wesley J. Smith speaks with Dr. Charles Camosy, associate professor of theological and social ethics at Fordham University and author of “Losing Our Dignity: How Secularized Medicine is Undermining Fundamental Human Equality” on fundamental human equality and the threats of secularized medicine. Camosy has vigorously entered the public square in word and electronic media appearances to defend the equal dignity and intrinsic moral worth of every human being. “Losing Our Dignity” is a highly approachable volume that presents a stalwart critique of contemporary bioethics without getting too deep into the philosophical weeds. Wesley and Charles discuss the factors that make us exceptional, the dangers to human equality posed by utilitarian bioethics, the place plays in important bioethics controversies, and recent bioethics controversies, such as the Terri Schiavo and Jahi McMath cases. They also focus on the peril of dehumanizing patients with dementia, and how to best provide care for those who can’t care for themselves. It is a discussion you won’t want to miss.
Ambassador Sam Brownback on Human Rights and Religious Freedom
Wesley J. Smith talks with Senator Sam Brownback, who served as Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom and as governor of Kansas from 2011 to 2018. Religious freedom is a crucial aspect of human exceptionalism because it is a fundamental human rights issue. Smith and Brownback discuss COVID, free exercise versus the freedom to worship, issues in China, India, and Turkey, and much else.
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