Bioethics Babe

Lab-Made Humans? Three-Parent Embryos, Genetic Engineering, and the Future of Humanity with Dr. David Prentice | Ep. 32

What happens when science gains the power not only to heal human life, but to redesign it? Scientists are now creating lab-made embryos from stem cells, experimenting with three-parent embryos, pursuing gene editing technologies like CRISPR, and exploring ways to grow human life outside the womb. What once sounded like science fiction is rapidly becoming reality. In this episode of Bioethics Babe, internationally recognized stem cell researcher and bioethics expert Dr. David Prentice of the Science Alliance for Life and Technology (SALT) exposes the ethical dangers behind lab-made embryos, designer babies, germline gene editing, fetal tissue research, embryo selection, IVF commodification, and modern eugenics. We discuss: • Lab-made embryos • Three-parent embryos and genetic engineering • CRISPR and heritable gene editing • Designer babies and embryo selection • Stem cell research myths and realities • Human fetal tissue research • Artificial wombs and the future of reproduction • Modern eugenics and prenatal screening • Human dignity, bioethics, and the future of humanity At what point does medicine stop treating disease and start redefining what kinds of humans are acceptable? BIO: Dr. David Prentice is President and Founding Board Member of the Science Alliance for Life and Technology, or SALT. Dr. Prentice is an internationally recognized expert on stem cell research, biotechnology, and bioethics, with nearly 50 years of experience as a scientific researcher, professor, academic leader, and policy advisor. He has advised policymakers and testified before the U.S. Congress, the United Nations, the European Parliament, the Vatican, and the President’s Council on Bioethics on issues including stem cell research, fetal tissue research, cloning, gene editing, embryology, and the future of biotechnology. In 2020, he was appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to the federal Human Fetal Tissue Ethics Advisory Board. Subscribe for more conversations Bioethics Babe is a podcast exploring the toughest questions about human dignity, suffering, and the human person in light of science, faith, and culture. 📚For Episode Resources, please visit the episode page. For more information, the latest episodes, and additional resources, visit www.bioethicsbabe.com [http://www.bioethicsbabe.com]. Follow BB on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BioethicsBabe [https://www.youtube.com/@BioethicsBabe] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576554667052 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576554667052] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bioethicsbabe [https://www.instagram.com/bioethicsbabe] X: https://x.com/bioethicsbabe [https://x.com/bioethicsbabe]

“‘There’s No Hope,’ Doctors Said: One Family’s Decision After a Trisomy 18 Diagnosis” with Sen. Rick Santorum | Ep. 31

What do you do when doctors tell you there’s “no hope”? When former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Rick Santorum and his wife Karen received a Trisomy 18 diagnosis for their daughter Bella, they were told she had a condition “incompatible with life.” They were encouraged to prepare for her death. But Bella lived. Now she’s turning 18 years old, something many doctors never expected she would see. In this deeply personal episode of Bioethics Babe, Sen. Rick Santorum shares the emotional and spiritual journey of raising Bella, the medical and cultural pressures families often face after a prenatal diagnosis, and how one little girl transformed their marriage, family, and understanding of human dignity. This conversation explores not only Trisomy 18, but the deeper questions underneath modern medicine: What makes a life valuable? How should we think about suffering and disability? And what happens when a diagnosis becomes a judgment about whether a life is worth living? We discuss: • Receiving a devastating Trisomy 18 diagnosis • The meaning behind the phrase “incompatible with life” • Losing their son Gabriel before Bella’s birth • How doctors and the medical system responded to Bella’s condition • Hospice pressure and assumptions about “quality of life” • How Bella transformed the Santorum family • Raising a child with profound disabilities • Marriage, suffering, and navigating disagreement as parents • Bella turning 18 with Trisomy 18 • Why Bella became the emotional center of their family • Multi-generational family life and caregiving • The cultural tendency to value productivity over personhood • What families facing a prenatal diagnosis need to hear Bella cannot walk or speak. Yet her life is a profound witness to love, family, and the inherent dignity of every human person. This is a conversation about suffering, hope, disability, family, faith, and what it truly means to be human. Subscribe for more conversations Bioethics Babe is a podcast exploring the toughest questions about human dignity, suffering, and the human person in light of science, faith, and culture. 📚For Episode Resources, please visit the episode page: https://bioethicsbabe.com/theres-no-hope-doctors-said-one-familys-decision-after-a-trisomy-18-diagnosis-with-sen-rick-santorum-ep-31/ [https://bioethicsbabe.com/theres-no-hope-doctors-said-one-familys-decision-after-a-trisomy-18-diagnosis-with-sen-rick-santorum-ep-31/]. For more information, the latest episodes, and additional resources, visit www.bioethicsbabe.com [http://www.bioethicsbabe.com]. Follow BB on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BioethicsBabe [https://www.youtube.com/@BioethicsBabe] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576554667052 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576554667052] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bioethicsbabe [https://www.instagram.com/bioethicsbabe] X: https://x.com/bioethicsbabe [https://x.com/bioethicsbabe]

“How Do You Survive Grief After Suicide Loss? A Father’s Story” with Dr. Brick Lantz | Ep. 30

What do you do when the questions never go away? Suicide doesn’t just leave grief in its wake. It leaves silence, confusion, and questions that don’t have clear answers. Could I have done something? Did I miss something? Where was God? In this deeply personal conversation, Dr. Brick Lantz, orthopedic surgeon, bioethicist, and author of Raw Musings: Journaling Following My Son’s Suicide, shares what it was like to lose his son, and what it means to keep living after the unthinkable. This is not a conversation with easy answers. It’s a conversation about grief that doesn’t resolve neatly, faith that wrestles, and the slow, difficult path forward. We discuss: * What grief after suicide loss actually feels like in the first days and weeks * The “why” and “what if” questions that never fully go away * Why suicide loss feels different from other kinds of grief * Guilt, second-guessing, and how to process them * Journaling, counseling, and the role of community in healing * Where God is in the midst of suffering and silence * What to say, and what not to say, to someone grieving suicide loss * How the Church and healthcare can better support those who are suffering * The difference between physical, relational, and spiritual pain * Why you don’t need all the answers to keep living and loving About Dr. Brick Lantz Dr. Brick Lantz is an orthopedic surgeon and bioethicist who serves as Vice President of Advocacy and Bioethics at the Christian Medical and Dental Associations. After more than 30 years in clinical practice, he now works at the intersection of medicine, faith, and ethics. He is the author of Raw Musings: Journaling Following My Son’s Suicide, a deeply personal journal written in the aftermath of losing his son to suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling You don’t have to go through this alone. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Support is available 24/7. Subscribe for more conversations Bioethics Babe is a podcast exploring the toughest questions about human dignity, suffering, and the human person in light of science, faith, and culture. 📚For Episode Resources, please visit the episode page: https://bioethicsbabe.com/how-do-you-survive-grief-after-suicide-loss-a-fathers-story-with-dr-brick-lantz-ep-30/ [https://bioethicsbabe.com/how-do-you-survive-grief-after-suicide-loss-a-fathers-story-with-dr-brick-lantz-ep-30/]. For more information, the latest episodes, and additional resources, visit www.bioethicsbabe.com [http://www.bioethicsbabe.com]. Follow BB on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BioethicsBabe [https://www.youtube.com/@BioethicsBabe] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576554667052 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576554667052] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bioethicsbabe [https://www.instagram.com/bioethicsbabe] X: https://x.com/bioethicsbabe [https://x.com/bioethicsbabe]

“Marked Before Birth: The Hidden Pressure After a Prenatal Diagnosis” with Neonatologist Dr. Robin Pierucci | Ep. 29

What happens when parents hear the words, “Something may be wrong with your baby”? In this episode of Bioethics Babe, we sit down with board-certified neonatologist and pediatrician Dr. Robin Pierucci to unpack what really happens after a prenatal diagnosis. From life expectancy predictions and medical uncertainty to the emotional shock families experience, this conversation exposes the hidden pressures shaping decisions before a child is even born. Are parents being fully informed or unintentionally influenced? Drawing on decades of experience in the NICU, Dr. Pierucci founded Navigating Fetal Concerns, and reveals how diagnoses are communicated, where bias can enter the conversation, and why a diagnosis is not the same as a prognosis. We also explore the trauma families face, the role of perinatal hospice, and what true support and ethical care should look like in these moments. We discuss: · What really happens after a prenatal diagnosis · The difference between diagnosis and prognosis · How life expectancy is estimated and where it can go wrong · The emotional and psychological impact on parents · How medical framing can shape decision-making · Bias, pressure, and “non-directive” counseling in practice · Common prenatal diagnoses, including Down syndrome and Trisomy 18 · The role of perinatal hospice and palliative care · What true support for families should look like · Why uncertainty and humility matter in medicine This episode raises one of the most important questions in modern medicine: When a diagnosis is given before birth, what do we owe that child and his or her parents? 📚For Episode Resources, please visit the episode page:: [https://bioethicsbabe.com/did-feminism-fail-women-in-birth-reclaiming-the-female-body-with-leah-jacobson-ep-28/]https://bioethicsbabe.com/marked-before-birth-the-hidden-pressure-after-a-prenatal-diagnosis-with-neonatologist-dr-robin-pierucci-ep-29/ [https://bioethicsbabe.com/marked-before-birth-the-hidden-pressure-after-a-prenatal-diagnosis-with-neonatologist-dr-robin-pierucci-ep-29/] For more information, the latest episodes, and additional resources, visit www.bioethicsbabe.com [http://www.bioethicsbabe.com]. Follow BB on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BioethicsBabe [https://www.youtube.com/@BioethicsBabe] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576554667052 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576554667052] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bioethicsbabe [https://www.instagram.com/bioethicsbabe] X: https://x.com/bioethicsbabe [https://x.com/bioethicsbabe]

“Did Feminism Fail Women in Birth? Reclaiming the Female Body” with Leah Jacobson | Ep. 28

Did feminism actually leave women more vulnerable in birth? Modern medicine says birth has never been safer. So why are more women walking away feeling traumatized, disempowered, and unheard? After a delivery that almost wasn’t a live birth, Leah Jacobson says the biggest lesson wasn’t about control. It was about surrender. In this episode, we ask a deeper question: Did something break in the system or did something shift in how we understand the female body itself? We explore how modern birth became a managed process, why C-section and induction rates continue to rise, and how a culture built on control may be working against women’s health. Leah, founder of the Guiding Star Project and author of Wholistic Feminism, offers a radically different vision. One that reconnects women to their bodies instead of overriding them. We discuss: * Why birth can become a life or death moment and what that reveals about risk and trust * The hidden consequences of labor induction and the cascade of interventions * Why maternal intuition is often ignored in modern medicine * The difference between hospital births and birth centers * How women’s healthcare became fragmented and disconnected * What “wholistic feminism” actually means * Why control may be the wrong goal when it comes to women’s bodies This episode challenges the assumption that empowerment means control and asks whether true empowerment begins with understanding and trusting the body instead. If we get this wrong, it doesn’t just affect birth. It affects how we understand women, identity, and the human person itself. Subscribe to Bioethics Babe for conversations at the intersection of science, ethics, and human dignity. 📚For Episode Resources, please visit the episode page:https://bioethicsbabe.com/did-feminism-fail-women-in-birth-reclaiming-the-female-body-with-leah-jacobson-ep-28/ [https://bioethicsbabe.com/did-feminism-fail-women-in-birth-reclaiming-the-female-body-with-leah-jacobson-ep-28/]. For more information, the latest episodes, and additional resources, visit www.bioethicsbabe.com [http://www.bioethicsbabe.com]. Follow BB on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BioethicsBabe [https://www.youtube.com/@BioethicsBabe] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576554667052 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576554667052] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bioethicsbabe [https://www.instagram.com/bioethicsbabe] X: https://x.com/bioethicsbabe [https://x.com/bioethicsbabe]