Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 201: Treasuring Our Future Timelines

Our choices today powerfully affect future timelines in either positive or detrimental ways.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationMarch 31, 2022Abortion, RU-486, Sexual Assault

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 200: Dehumanizing One Another

Renewing hope for conflict-laden humanity begins precisely in the acknowledgement of each other’s humanity, strengthening those fraternal bonds on which peace is grounded.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationFebruary 28, 2022Universal Morality

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 199: Too Much Morphine?

Careful attention to pain management is of paramount importance in end-of-life care and supports both the patient and the family in a dignified way during the dying process.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationJanuary 31, 2022Death and Dying, End-of-Life Issues, Pain Management-Palliative Care and Hospice, Proportionate and Disproportionate Means, Suffering

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 198 : The Ethics of Pig to Human Organ Transplants

Remarkable advancements have been made in "neutering" pig organs so they no longer provoke a powerful immune response in humans, and striking progress has been made in extending survival times for xenografts…

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationDecember 30, 2021Animal-Human Hybrids and Chimeras, Organ Donation, Genetics and Genome Editing

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 197 : Eugenics, Forced Sterilization, and Protecting the Mentally-Challenged

...the solution should never be direct sterilization but tailored care that addresses their specific mental health situation...

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationNovember 30, 2021Human Sexuality, Birth Control and Contraception, Disabilities and the Disabled, Eugenics, Sterilization

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 196 : New Cures from Embryonic Stem Cells?

Receiving a diabetes treatment produced with embryonic stem cells signals a willingness on our part to tolerate the killing of younger human beings in order to benefit others who are older.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationOctober 29, 2021Abortion, Cooperation in Evil, COVID-19, Embryos, Fetal Tissue Harvesting, Stem Cell Research, Vaccines and Vaccination

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 195 : Sexual Atoms and Molecules

Sex touches us at a deeper level than other activities, binding us to another. It speaks a language not of autonomy, but of communion and enduring self-gift.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationSeptember 30, 2021Informed Consent, Human Sexuality, Premarital Sex, Sex Education

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 194 : Decisions of Consequence

Each day for us involves a walk along the threshold of eternity, through small and not-so-small gestures, even though we may not always see the full implications of each of our decisions.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationAugust 30, 2021Abortion, Conscience, RU-486

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 193: The Moral Analysis of Boxing

It is important for us to inquire about the intended purpose or goal of boxing.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationJuly 30, 2021Disabilities and the Disabled, Ethics of Athletics and Sports

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 192 : What Young People Could Most Profit From Hearing About Marriage

The commitments we make and faithfully fulfill are a source of stability and strength.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationJune 30, 2021Marriage, Parenting, Premarital Sex

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 191 : Challenging the Establishment on Childhood Gender Transitions

Vulnerable young people, caught up in the pressure of the moment, have too easily been drawn into life-altering pathways involving medications and scalpels with their frequently irreversible effects.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationMay 28, 2021Bodily Enhancement-Mutilation, Medical Profession — Ethics and Pastoral-Spiritual, Parenting, Gender Identity and Being Transgender, Universal Morality

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 190 : Vaccine Mandates and Catholic Colleges

Instead of imposing the requirement to get vaccinated, leaders would do better to share and explain to students the benefits and risks of vaccinations — scientific and ethical — to help them decide.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationApril 30, 2021COVID-19, Vaccines and Vaccination, Conscience Rights

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 189 : Countering Catholic Misinformation About Vaccines

But Catholics have to be on guard against anti-science prophets, no matter how well meaning, and the false witness they bear.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationMarch 31, 2021COVID-19, Vaccines and Vaccination, Abortion

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 188 : Should We Take Whatever Vaccine is Offered?

These considerations show us how it is important not to gloss over the distinctions among various COVID-19 vaccines.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationFebruary 26, 2021COVID-19, Vaccines and Vaccination

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 187 : The “Quality of Life” Error

Our focus should be on the benefits and burdens of a proposed medical intervention rather than on trying to impose our own conclusion that certain individuals no longer have enough value or meaning in their lives.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationJanuary 29, 2021Caring for the Elderly and Infirm, Death and Dying, Disabilities and the Disabled, End-of-Life Issues, Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, Pain Management-Palliative Care and Hospice

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 186 : Vaccines and Other Entanglements with Abortion

I’m often asked whether sample letters are available to help with writing to vaccine manufacturers who use abortion-derived cell lines.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationDecember 30, 2020COVID-19, Vaccines and Vaccination, Abortion

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 185 : Must Catholics Refuse a COVID-19 Vaccine Made with a Cell Line from an Abortion?

If we end up facing a choice among multiple COVID-19 vaccines of similar or equal safety and efficacy, as appears likely, it will clearly be preferable to choose alternatives with a better ethical profile.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationNovember 30, 2020COVID-19, Vaccines and Vaccination, Conscience, Abortion

Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 184: Should I Get Vaccinated?

When a vaccine is determined to be safe and effective, it will often make sense for healthy individuals to choose, on their own initiative, to get immunized.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD—Director of EducationOctober 30, 2020COVID-19, Vaccines and Vaccination, Conscience Rights, Fetal Tissue Harvesting