375 articles
Schadenberg argues that classifying assisted suicide as treatment would alter the purpose and obligations of health services. He discusses the United Kingdom debate and contends that such a change conflicts with suicide prevention.
Read →IVF survivor Maddie Broome shares her perspective on the ethics behind in vitro fertilization. I was conceived in a petri dish and survived. On a good day, 30-50% of embryos make it to the implantation stage, also known as the blastocyst stage.[i] Of those embryos that are implanted, 45% flourish into a pregnancy, resulting in […] Source
Read →(Originally published in The Washington Stand) A seemingly innocuous in vitro fertilization approach that has been embraced by conservative lawmakers in multiple states is to propose bills that clarify that the “right” to IVF is protected in state law. Unlike more sweeping bills, like the one in Nevada that explicitly states that IVF embryos will never be recognized as persons or unborn children under state law, bills proposed in Georgia and Tennessee are brief and do not contain explicitly anti-life language. However, simply labeling IVF as a “right” carries implications that these legislator
Read →In testimony republished by the coalition, psychiatrist Ronald Pies opposes Massachusetts assisted-suicide proposals on ethical and clinical grounds. He argues that clinicians should respond to fears about autonomy and dignity through counseling and care rather than assistance in dying.
Read →Schadenberg reviews the assisted-dying sections of the United Nations disability committee's concluding observations on Canada. He focuses on the committee's concerns about eligibility where death is not foreseeable and proposed further expansions.
Read →This republished Inclusion Canada statement welcomes a United Nations committee's recommendations on Canadian disability rights. It highlights the recommendation to repeal Track 2 assisted dying alongside calls for stronger income support, inclusion, and community services.
Read →Twenty years ago today, Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube was withdrawn with court approval, commencing a cruel deprivation of sustenance that resulted in her death by dehydration 13 days later. For those who may not remember, the case became the most hotly contested bioethics issue since Roe v. Wade as Terri’s husband Michael fought in courts and in the media with her parents and siblings over his desire to remove all Terri’s food and fluids. In the end, he won — and Terri died. Now, two bioethicists on the influential Hastings Center blog decry the case as wrongly brought. They get some facts wro
Read →(Originally published in Live Action News) I recently had a conversation with a fellow Christian about Trump’s Executive Order to reduce barriers to accessing in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures. This discussion revealed to me that many people, even in Christian churches, seem confused about the ethical dilemmas surrounding IVF. This is unsurprising, as some politicians who oppose abortion have also championed IVF, blurring the line between ethical and unethical reproductive procedures. Should “safeguarding” IVF really be the goal? The White House recently tweeted that Trump’s EO will “saf
Read →Wesley J. Smith joined host Simon O’Connor on Family Matters, a show from Family First New Zealand, to discuss human exceptionalism. Together, they discuss what makes humans different from animals, the problem with mainstream bioethics today, why euthanasia is wrong, and more!
Read →Schadenberg criticizes Nevada AB 346, focusing on practitioner eligibility, waivable waiting periods, and reporting provisions. He objects to treating assistance in suicide as ordinary medical or palliative care.
Read →Schadenberg discusses the Canadian Human Rights Commission's concerns submitted to a United Nations disability-rights review. The article emphasizes reports that people with disabilities may seek assisted death because adequate housing, care, or other supports are unavailable.
Read →Alex Schadenberg discusses disability-rights objections to Illinois SB 9 and reports that the proposal was withdrawn from a scheduled committee hearing for amendments. He argues that access to supportive care should take priority over legalizing assisted suicide.
Read →First and foremost, surrogacy raises profound ethical concerns, particularly when funded by taxpayer dollars. The process often involves complex contractual agreements that can lead to the exploitation of economically vulnerable women, who may feel pressured into becoming surrogates due to financial hardship. The potential for coercion and inequality in such arrangements must not be overlooked, […] The post CBC Testimony on H.B. No. 7022: An Act Promoting Equity In Medicaid Coverage for Fertility Health Care appeared first on The Center for Bioethics & Culture Network .
Read →Schadenberg argues that Oregon SB 1003 would substantially broaden the state's assisted-suicide framework through changes to practitioner roles, waiting periods, and institutional policies. He cites objections from medical and disability advocates to support his criticism of the proposal.
Read →Amy Hasbrouck examines Quebec's five-year end-of-life-care report and compares its findings with earlier reporting. She identifies unanswered questions about consent, decision-making capacity, access to palliative care, and compliance oversight.
Read →Trasancos criticizes policies encouraging IVF and explains Catholic objections involving embryo protection, marital procreation, and the rights of children. She urges Catholics to defend embryonic human life while supporting adoption and approaches intended to restore fertility.
Read →Schadenberg discusses anticipated California changes to assisted-suicide legislation before the full proposal was available. He draws on a sponsor's earlier bill and another commentator's forecast to warn of broader eligibility and methods.
Read →Friesen and fellow signatories urge Delaware lawmakers to reject a bill defining assisted death as medical care. The letter argues that this framing could create professional expectations and pressures affecting patients who do not want assisted death.
Read →I once spent the afternoon taking part in a webinar focused on providing support, Church teaching, and information to families who receive a prenatal diagnosis that their child will be disabled in some way. Perhaps they are informed that the child will have Down syndrome or perhaps a birth defect that will lead either to early death […] The post ‘A Life Like Yours’: On the Dignity of the Disabled and the Call to Save Them from Abortion appeared first on Celebrate Life Magazine .
Read →Schadenberg describes a Washington proposal concerning assisted-suicide providers and waiver of the waiting period. He contrasts those proposed expansions with a Montana effort to restrict assisted suicide.
Read →Schadenberg examines an Oregon proposal to let additional categories of medical professionals prescribe assisted-suicide medication. He argues that replacing physician-specific language would increase participation and further expand the state's law.
Read →Kallie Fell and Jennifer Lahl from the Center for Bioethics & Culture Network visited Minnesota to educate legislators about the risks and ethical concerns related to the fertility and surrogacy industries. Minnesota currently has no specific laws permitting or prohibiting surrogacy, but efforts by the fertility industry to change this are being actively opposed by these advocates.
Read →A whirlwind of executive actions in the first week of President Donald J. Trump’s new administration have boded surprisingly well for the personhood movement. Source
Read →Schadenberg reviews changes in jurisdictions that have already permitted assisted suicide. Using examples involving waiting periods and eligible prescribers, he argues that lawmakers should not rely on initial safeguards remaining intact.
Read →(Originally published in The Federalist) The “Assisted Reproduction and Surrogacy Parentage Act,” which decriminalizes surrogate motherhood in the state of Michigan, is planned to take effect in March of this year. Michigan is the last state to decriminalize paid surrogacy, and some may say it’s about time they “catch up” to the rest of the country. One surrogacy agency recently posted that “choosing to carry a child for another family is one of the most profound gifts of love and compassion.” On the surface, surrogacy would appear this way, as what could possibly be wrong with helping couples
Read →(Originally published in The Federalist) In December, gay father Balázs Boross published “Queering babies: (Auto)ethnographic reflections from a gay parent through surrogacy” in the journal Psychoanalysis, Culture, and Society. The essay “explores how encounters with [a surrogate baby] disrupt or confirm normative expectations about the ‘babyness’ of babies, the ‘parentness’ of parents.” Boross suggests “surrogate babies are queer creatures by default,” “given their prenatal history,” and “that queerness can serve as a window into the queerness of all babies.” Evolutionary biologist and Manhat
Read →This open letter encourages President Trump and calls on him to promote and establish personhood in his administration by ending all Executive Branch involvement in elective abortion. The letter and signatories were sent to President Donald J. Trump on January 20, 2025, Inauguration Day. Source
Read →With Georgia Right to Life’s (GRTL) annual Georgia Stand for Life right around the corner (Jan. 24), now is a good time to brush up on your Personhood apologetics while making plans to attend the event. Source
Read →Schadenberg reports on a Honolulu police investigation into allegations that a doctor administered medication contrary to the self-administration requirement. He uses the reported case to question enforcement of assisted-suicide safeguards, without establishing criminal guilt.
Read →The number of euthanasia cases continues to rise in Canada, according to the latest official report on the topic, raising further alarm, particularly among disability rights groups. Even some early supporters of ‘Medical Assistance in Dying’ (MAID) are now voicing concerns. Last year, 15,343 Canadians died by euthanasia or assisted suicide, according to the ‘Fifth […] The post Euthanasia continues to go out of control in Canada first appeared on The Iona Institute .
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