News - Ethics Matters RSS Feed

On December 1, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the most important case of this generation: Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

What if we are in the midst of an epic spiritual battle, a battle for truth. “What is truth?” (“Quid est veritas?”) (Jn 18:38).

In the United States, nearly half of all abortions are now chemical abortions – abortions that occur through “medication abortion pills.”

I take it as self-evident that the desire to do sexual things with children is wicked and perverse. That includes self-display, enticement, and talk – and where the talk takes place does not matter, except that if it is public, in a school, or on television, or on posters at your local fast-food joint, the harm done is incomparably greater, because it reaches more children, and it acquires all the force of public approval.

In an issue dedicated to the theme of “heroes in uniform” it would be good to remember the uniformity of heroism itself. Heroism is the same in all ages because, in essence, it is synonymous with holiness.

You must name the sin, bravely and often.

In a narrow alleyway in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), outside the doorway to the motherhouse of the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by St. Mother Teresa to serve Jesus in the poorest of the poor, little children play.

It's hard to avoid the “wokeness” overrunning American business. “Woke capitalism” is about businesses serving the politically correct ideology of the moment instead of serving customers, employees, and shareholders.

A young man appears at the the gate of the king’s palace and requests to see the king. He is eyed with great suspicion but permitted a hearing by the highest officials. The king is delighted to see him.

Anger. Distrust. Violence. Cancel culture. Everywhere we turn, we find divisiveness—on the street, in the halls of government, at workplaces, even among family members. As Catholics and Legates, how do we respond?

When Legatus’ editor asked me in late November to consider writing a piece on a topic related to ethics and life for Catholics post-election, her request really struck me.

Cases that shape U.S. jurisprudence concerning the most important moral issues of our time – involving life, marriage, and religious liberty – have frequently been decided by a closely divided U.S. Supreme Court.

By the time you read this, the U.S. presidential election may have been resolved. Depending upon the outcome, our nation will take one of two starkly different paths. Since most of my work has been on pro-life issues, and the bulk of this in the international arena, let me lay out what these two paths mean to me, a fellow Legate who has been fighting for life for over three decades.

Statistics on religiosity are enigmatic. Many say religiosity means more than mere “religious affiliation.” Or does it?

Talk of racial tension and calls for national conversations sometimes seem hopelessly abstract and ineffectual. Protests, riots, and policing reform initiatives across the country today are merely the latest manifestation in an ever-churning news cycle. How can we break it? To ask the timeliest question, “Why do black lives matter?”

It's been challenging. The pandemic drained the budgets of Catholic schools and left school administrators reeling, whiplashed by state mandates to close the schools, go virtual, offer hybrid options, and ramp up to re-open (maybe).

As an infectious disease doctor who specializes in HIV, I never imagined that my entire medical world would be turned upside down.

Two recent crises have tested the mettle of our nation, revealing much about our citizens and government. The emergence of the coronavirus challenged our public health response. Experts recommended measures to slow transmission and avoid overwhelming our critical care capacity. Government officials deftly responded with restrictions that also disrupted economic and social life, including cherished liberties.

For Legatus magazine readers and chapter members (I’ve had the honor of speaking to chapters throughout the country), I might seem a curious choice to weigh in on bioethics. Legatus folks are accustomed to my cogitations on culture, politics, even historical figures like Pope St. John Paul II and Ronald Reagan. What could I possibly have to say about bioethics?

At the end of Mass, Catholics are sent forth: “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” That is the duty of the laity because they “live in the midst of the world and its concerns, to exercise their apostolate in the world like leaven, with the ardor of the spirit of Christ” (Second Vatican Council, Apostolicam Actuositatem, Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, 2).