Do No Harm, Medical Ethics, and the Catholic Moral Tradition: A Narrative Reflection on the Care of Children Experiencing Gender Dysphoria
2026 Victor R. Claveau, MJ The ancient maxim primum non nocere—“first, do no harm”—has long occupied a central place in the moral imagination of medicine. Though not found verbatim in the Hippocratic Oath, the principle expresses a fundamental truth recognized by physicians, philosophers, and theologians throughout history: the healer must never intentionally inflict injury upon […]
DOCTRINAL NOTE ON THE MORAL LIMITS TO TECHNOLOGICAL MANIPULATION OF THE HUMAN BODY
Committee on Doctrine United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 1. Modern technology offers an ever-increasing range of means—chemical, surgical, genetic— for intervening in the functioning of the human body, as well as for modifying its appearance. These technological developments have provided the ability to cure many human maladies and promise to cure many more. This […]
Eleven groundbreaking Catholic scientists, many of whom were priests.
1. Copernicus (1473–1543) Remember Copernicus?! The Catholic priest who practiced medicine and then went into astronomy developing heliocentrism. He discovered that the earth is not the center of the universe, not even of this solar system. He is believed to have entered the priesthood later in life. His contributions to astronomy revolutionized the field and […]
How to Talk to Democrats About Embryonic Stem Cell Research
By Eric Pavlat The record shows that as the need for medical experiments grew, manyphysicians and others treated institutionalized infants, dying patients, and mentally impaired individuals as not quite persons in the moral sense. Moreover,indigent patients in hospitals were often treated in a similar fashion. . . . “Clearly, these ‘vulnerable’ individuals were thought of […]
When Boys Won’t Be Boys: Childhood Gender Identity Disorder
DR. RICHARD FITZGIBBONS and DR. JOSEPH NICOLOSI Gender identity problems, including cross-dressing, exclusive cross-gender play, and a lack of same-sex friends should be treated as a symptom that something may be wrong — very wrong. A mother, concerned for some time about her four-year-old son’s effeminate mannerisms, lack of male playmates, and interest in Barbie […]
The Pill and Birth Defects
©2017 Victor R. Claveau, MA “Teratogen” is a term that refers to any drug or other substance with the potential of interfering with the development of a fetus causing birth defects. Teratology (from the Greek, meaning monster, or marvel) is the study of these malformations or serious deviations from the norm. Teratogens are thought to […]
Cloning: An Affront to Human Dignity
Issue: What is human cloning? Why does the Church teach that cloning is immoral? Response: Cloning is a form of artificial reproduction in which the offspring produced is genetically identical to the individual from whom he or she originated. Human cloning is immoral because it attacks the dignity of human procreation and because it is […]
The Views of the Holy See on Human Cloning
The Holy See’s Position The Holy See firmly supports a world-wide and comprehensive ban on human cloning, no matter what techniques are used and what aims are pursued. Its position is based on (1) biological analysis of the cloning process and (2) anthropological, social, ethical and legal reflection on the negative implications that human cloning […]
11 groundbreaking Catholic scientists, many of whom were priests.
1. Copernicus (1473–1543) Remember Copernicus?! The Catholic priest who practiced medicine and then went into astronomy developing heliocentrism. He discovered that the earth is not the center of the universe, not even of this solar system. He is believed to have entered the priesthood later in life. His contributions to astronomy revolutionized the field and […]
In Vitro Fertilization
The various techniques of artificial reproduction, which would seem to be at the service of life, and which are frequently used with this intention, actually open the door to new threats against life. Apart from the fact that they are morally unacceptable, since they separate procreation from the fully human context of the conjugal act, […]