> Articles by: Elyse M. Smith

SCOTUS Nominee Gorsuch – A Look ahead

Posted: February 1, 2017
By: Elyse M. Smith

Last night, President Trump nominated 10th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. A graduate of Columbia, Harvard Law and Oxford, Gorsuch studied under the preeminent moral philosopher John Finnis. His firm grounding in sound legal reasoning and the natural law means he will not concern himself with the outcome of a case but rather with the reasoning and logic behind it. That won’t be popular with those who like to use the courts to achieve their desired ends. Let the circus begin. Read

Understanding the Three-Parent Baby

Posted: January 5, 2017
By: Dr. Pilar Calva, M.D.

While most (99.9%) of the human genome (DNA) is found in chromosomes in the cell nucleus, a small percentage (0.1%) of our DNA is found in the mitochondria—small bean-shaped structures which float around within the cell. Among other things, mitochondria use oxygen to convert the energy from food into a form cells can use. Mutations in this mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which can cause metabolic and degenerative diseases, and forms of cancer, are the driving force behind three-parent babies. Read

Trump and The Definition of Sex

Posted: December 6, 2016
By: Elyse M. Smith

As the Trump transition team rolls out names for cabinet posts, the most anticipated name is that of his Supreme Court nominee. The composition of the Court could prove decisive in several cases to be considered this term, one of which involves a Commonwealth of Virginia school board and a student suffering from gender dysphoria. At issue in the case is the Department of Education’s (DOE) definition of the word “sex.” It used to be such a simple word… Read

Toxic Masculinity And A Confusion Of Terms

Posted: November 17, 2016
By: Frank J. Moncher, Ph.D.

“Universities across the nation are taking steps to actively purge male students of what’s been labeled ‘toxic masculinity’.” One small college with a “commitment to a diverse and inclusive learning environment,” has freshman students who “identify as male” watch a film about masculinity entitled “The Mask You Live In” which warns students that the notion of masculinity comes with harmful side effects. Is masculinity truly toxic, or is something else at play here? Read

The Need To Belong: Nothing New, But A Crisis Nonetheless

Posted: October 6, 2016
By: Frank J. Moncher, Ph.D.

A client of mine, an articulate, attractive, divorced woman in her 30s with a traumatic family background, was discussing in therapy the common dearth of true friendships among her peers. Few, it seems, have any real relationships. Rather, they have “situationships.” The Urban Dictionary says a situationship “is a relationship that has no label on it. Its like a relationship, but more of a situation.” What it really is, is lonely. And we were not meant to be alone. Read

Assisted Suicide in D.C.

Posted: September 29, 2016
By: Elyse M. Smith

September is Suicide Prevention Month. To celebrate, the D.C. Council is considering a measure to legalize physician-assisted suicide with a bill which surrealistically claims “actions taken in accordance with this act do not constitute suicide, assisted suicide, mercy killing, or homicide under the law.” We are reminded of Humpty Dumpty who tells Alice that when he uses a word “it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.” Read

Now Popular in Venezuela? Sterilization Day

Posted: September 22, 2016
By: Dr. Pilar Calva, M.D.

It was recently reported that the Miranda clinic in Caracas is now sterilizing 40 women a week during its weekly “sterilization day” and has a waiting list of 500 women. This is the solution proposed for a country which exhausted its supply of birth control in July 2015 and is now out of most medicines. While avoiding pregnancy in difficult times can be well intentioned, good intentions do not justify immoral means. Read

Redefining “Sex” in the Transgender Debate

Posted: September 8, 2016
By: Margaret Datiles Watts, J.D.

On August 23, doctors, hospitals and five states filed a lawsuit against the government, challenging a new regulation implementing Obama’s Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). The new rule requires physicians who accept federal funds to perform transgender surgeries on children and adults, even if doing so conflicts with a physician’s professional medical judgement or belief that such a procedure would be harmful, dangerous or not in the best interests of a patient’s health. Read

Back To School Help – Mom, Dad: What’s Trans________?

Posted: September 1, 2016
By: Frank J. Moncher, Ph.D.

“One of my friends from school last year says she wants to be called by a different name, a boy’s name. What should I do?”
“There’s a new kid at school. I can’t figure out if ‘he’ is a boy or a girl. ‘He’ says ‘I’m pansexual and gender fluid.’ What’s that?”
As summer ends and children of all ages are returning to school, some (despite the media attention, thankfully very few) may be confronted with these or similar situations. How should you feel as a parent if you are so approached? What should you say or do? Read

What is the Legal Meaning of “Maternal Health?”

Posted: April 18, 2016
By: Margaret Datiles Watts, J.D.

In Roe v. Wade (1973), the Supreme Court established that the government may regulate and even prohibit abortion, as long as an exception is made “where it is necessary, in the appropriate medical judgment, for the preservation of the life or health of the mother.” This exception to abortion laws for maternal health is called the “maternal health exception.” But what does “health of the mother” mean? Read