Issues in Bioethics

Fr. Tad Pacholczyk discusses controversial ethical issues in biology and medicine.

Questions Covered:

• 14:44 - I have heard of a doctor who is trying to do a head transplant on a person in a coma. If this is successful, what happens to the soul, mind, and memories?
• 19:09 - Is in-vitro fertilization ethical if you do one embryo at a time?
• 27:48 - I just met a woman yesterday who has a down syndrome daughter. A Catholic doctor would not give her daughter tubal ligation (the mother wanted to protect her daughter from abuse), so the woman said she has a problem with the Church. From a pastoral point of view, what is the best way to open up conversation with this woman?
• 33:40 - Is it ethical to use anonymous sperm donor to impregnate the woman? This seems different from IVF because the egg would never leave the woman’s body.
• 40:46 - I’m interviewing with a biotechnology company with regards to medications. Are there any red flags I should be on the lookout for when I’m interviewing?
• 44:00 - If marital intercourse is a petition to God to have babies, is natural family planning permissible?
• 49:10 - Recent brain studies show that the brain isn’t fully matured until around 20. If this is true how can children make the decision that they want to be transgender?

Resources Mentioned:

• ncbcenter.org