> Articles by: R. J. Snell, Ph.D.

Persons, not Compost: How to Think About Dead Bodies

Posted: February 15, 2019
By: R. J. Snell, Ph.D.

“Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Familiar words to many, a reminder of the shortness of life and the need to use our time well. While some may find the sentiment morbid, it is actually a … Read

New York’s Take on Fundamental Rights

Posted: January 18, 2019
By: R. J. Snell, Ph.D.

In recent days, news outlets have reported on the likely passage of the Reproductive Health Act (RHA) in New York state. Among other changes, the RHA repeals the requirement for abortion to be performed by a licensed physician and expands … Read

Babies From Three Parents

Posted: May 15, 2018
By: E. Christian Brugger, D.Phil.

An essay recently published in the Journal of Medical Ethics argues that “three-parent embryo” technologies (3-PETs) should be made accessible to lesbian couples where both women want to be genetically related to the children they create. Currently, 3-PETS are only legal in the UK, and only for addressing a rare degenerative condition. Should their use be expanded in the name of “reproductive freedom,” or should the welfare of the children to be created also be considered? Read

The Truth About Bathrooms and Sex

Posted: April 18, 2017
By: Elyse M. Smith

“Joel Doe” is a junior at Boyertown Area High School. Last October, he was in the boys’ locker room standing in his underwear, when he looked across the room and saw another student, standing in her bra. Rather embarrassed, Joel reported the incident to the principal, who, did…absolutely nothing. Joel is now suing for sexual harassment under the same regulation the female student was using to gain access to the boys’ locker room. As we celebrate the Octave of Easter, too many are still asking “What is truth?” Read

The Nuclear Option – From Bork To Gorsuch

Posted: April 12, 2017
By: William L. Saunders, Esq.

The Supreme Court and nuclear war. It’s an odd conjunction, yet the recent confirmation of Neil Gorsuch concludes a thirty years’ war over the Court, the first salvo of which was fired in 1987 in the successful effort to defeat the nomination of Robert Bork. Senator Ted Kennedy led that charge claiming that with Bork’s appointment “women would be forced into back-alley abortions.” In the intervening years, untold procedural maneuvers have been employed by Senators to defend a “right” that legal jurists of all stripes acknowledge doesn’t really exist. Read

Moral Chaos And Despair

Posted: April 11, 2017
By: Steve Soukup

Two years ago, economics professors at Princeton shocked the academic and political worlds with a ground-breaking study that showed the death rate among middle-aged, working-class whites has been increasing dramatically since the turn of the century. Last month, a follow-up study showed that those trends are increasing. What is it about our brave new world that is taking such a toll on this particular group of people? Read

Human-Animal Hybrids from Stem Cells: What are They?

Posted: April 6, 2017
By: Dr. Pilar Calva, M.D.

It’s a pig. It’s a cow. It’s a baby human. It’s a baby human-pig-cow. As science continues to “advance” the combining of genes from man and animals, we are obligated to ask: Just what are we creating, and to what dignity is our creation entitled? Read

Child Custody Unhinged

Posted: March 23, 2017
By: Frank J. Moncher, Ph.D.

A New York State Supreme Court justice recently granted three adults shared custody of a 10-year-old boy. It seems that the biological father and his wife had an ongoing romantic relationship with a female neighbor, who conceived and bore the child; the married couple later divorced, and the two women now live together. When “contemporary forms of the family” crash into the lives of small children, what is a judge to do? Read

Gender Ideology and Sexual Diversity: Feelings Trumping Reason

Posted: March 2, 2017
By: Frank J. Moncher, Ph.D.

Today, the Virginia Supreme Court is hearing the Lafferty, et al. v. School Board of Fairfax County transgender bathroom case. Further north, the New Hampshire legislature is now following in the footsteps of bills in New Jersey and California that would ban sexual reorientation therapy for children, and a toy company is unveiling a transgender doll to market to our children. Such emotive activism attempting to legitimize gender ideology and limit the rights of others who do not agree, abounds. But, there are good things happening, too… Read

Porn Harms: Law and Science Reflect Natural Truth

Posted: February 14, 2017
By: Frank J. Moncher, Ph.D.

In an overwhelming (82-8) bipartisan vote, the Virginia House of Delegates approved a measure earlier this month recognizing that pornography leads to societal and individual harms, joining Utah and South Dakota as states that are recognizing pornography’s adverse effects. While religious groups have long recognized the destructive impact of pornography, and the sciences have begun documenting this phenomena increasingly over the past several years, it is significant that another legislature is seeing the need to codify this truth. Read