“Baylor University Scholar Francis Beckwith Will Speak at Vatican Educational Conference”

May 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment
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From Baylor media communications: WACO, Texas (April 22, 2013) -- Francis J. Beckwith, Ph.D., a professor of philosophy at Baylor University and Resident Scholar in Baylor's Institute for Studies of Religion, will travel to Rome in mid-June to speak at The Celebration of Evangelium Vitae: Faithful to Life conference, sponsored by the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. Beckwith is one of three speakers invited to speak at the event, to be held June … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Baylor, Catholicism, Culture of Death, Culture of Life, The Vatican Tagged With: , Leave a Comment

My Two Part Series on Roe v. Wade, and an extensive critique of Roe

January 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade (22 January 2013), this month I have published a two-part series over at The Catholic Thing. You can find each part at the following links: Roe at Forty, part 1: The Court’s Failure to Address the Question of the Unborn’s Moral Status Roe at Forty, part 2: The Court’s Two Unwarranted Stipulations Even though many citizens reject  Roe v. Wade, not many know why it is so flawed. The above pieces present very brief summaries of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Abortion, Constitutional Law, Culture of Death, Culture of Life, Defending Life, Rush Limbaugh, U. S. Supreme Court Tagged With: , , Leave a Comment

Roe at Forty, part 2: The Court’s Two Unwarranted Stipulations

January 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Two weeks ago, I published over at The Catholic Thing part 1 of my two part series to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Roe. v. Wade (22 January 2013): "Roe at Forty, part 1: The Court’s Failure to Address the Question of the Unborn’s Moral Status." Part 2 was published today. Entitled, "Roe at Forty, part 2: The Court’s Two Unwarranted Stipulations," here's how it begins: Not only did Roe v. Wade’s majority opinion fail to address the question of whether the unborn human being is a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Abortion, Constitutional Law, Culture of Death, Culture of Life, Roe v. Wade, Sanctity of Life Tagged With: , , Leave a Comment

“Potential Persons” in the “After-Birth Abortion” Article

March 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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This is my latest over at The Catholic Thing. Here's how it begins: As readers of The Catholic Thing are well aware, the Journal of Medical Ethics, a periodical to which I have contributed, recently published the controversial article, “After-Birth Abortion: Why Should the Baby Live?”, written by the philosophers Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva. Throughout the article, the authors refer to fetuses and newborns as “potential persons,” which, I am sure, sounds like an odd … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Abortion, Culture of Death, Culture of Life, Defending Life, Philosophy, Prolife Tagged With: , , , Leave a Comment

Archbishop Chaput: “HHS mandate insulting and dangerous”

February 12, 2012 By 3 Comments
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Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia had this to say in this morning's Philadelphia Inquirer: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services refused on Jan. 20 to broaden the exception to its mandate that nearly all Catholic employers must cover contraception, abortifacients, and sterilization in their health-care plans. An "accommodation" offered Friday by the White House did not solve the problem. Instead, it triggered withering criticism from legal scholars such as Notre Dame's … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2012 Election, Abortion, Barack Obama, Constitutional Law, Culture of Death, Culture of Life, Religious Liberty Tagged With: , 3 Comments

Cardinal George of Chicago: “We cannot — we will not — comply with this unjust law.”

February 11, 2012 By 3 Comments
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The following is an open letter authored by Francis Cardinal George, the Catholic Archbishop of Chicago. It is addressed to the Catholics of his diocese: Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: I write to you concerning a most serious matter that negatively impacts the church in the United States directly, and that strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced on Jan. 20 that almost all employers, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2012 Election, Abortion, Barack Obama, Catholic, Catholicism, Culture of Life, Prolife, Religious Liberty Tagged With: , , , 3 Comments

USCCB Response to HHS “Compromise”: Unacceptable

February 10, 2012 By 2 Comments
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Here's the text: Bishops Renew Call To Legislative Action On Religious Liberty February 10, 2012 Regulatory changes limited and unclear Rescission of mandate only complete solution Continue urging passage of Respect for Rights of Conscience Act WASHINGTON – The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have issued the following statement: The Catholic bishops have long supported access to life-affirming healthcare for all, and the conscience rights of everyone involved in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: American Culture, Barack Obama, Catholic, Catholicism, Culture of Life, Religious Liberty Tagged With: , , 2 Comments

HHS “compromise” is Unacceptable, says former Vatican ambassador, Catholic University of America president, and others

February 10, 2012 By 9 Comments
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(HT: Catholicvote.org) The following public letter was issued today by Mary Anne Glendon (former United States Ambassador to the Vatican), John Garvey (President, Catholic University of America), Princeton scholar Robert P. George, Notre Dame law professor Carter Sneed, and Yuval Levin of the Ethics & Public Policy Center. Right now the letter is being circulated and in the process of acquiring many more signatories. I am proud to say that I signed it only moments ago when it was sent to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Abortion, Barack Obama, Culture of Death, Culture of Life, Religious Liberty Tagged With: , 9 Comments

Not a Good Argument for the HHS Birth Control Mandate

February 8, 2012 By 12 Comments
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In response to the new HHS regulations, about which I have written several entries (see below), some have responded by pointing out that most Catholics practice birth control in defiance of the teachings of their Church. I've got news for you: Catholics also commit adultery, lie, cheat, steal, and sometimes even become Protestant. I suspect that there are also Mormons who drink coffee, Orthodox Jews who sneak bacon bits on their salads, and Southern Baptists who make the occasional visit to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: American Culture, Barack Obama, Culture of Death, Culture of Life Tagged With: , 12 Comments

Dignity Never Been Photographed: Scientific Materialism, Enlightenment Liberalism, and Steven Pinker

November 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

That is the title of an article I published in the Summer 2010 issue of Ethics & Medicine: An International Journal of Bioethics (vol. 26.2).  (The title, if you have not noticed yet, is from a line in the Bob Dylan song, "Dignity"). Here's how the article begins (endnotes omitted): In March 2008, the President’s Council on Bioethics published a volume entitled, Human Dignity and Bioethics.  It consists of essays penned by council members as well as other scholars and practitioners … [Read more...]

Filed Under: bioethics, Culture of Life, Ethics, Philosophy Tagged With: , Leave a Comment