Making Babies? An IVF Primer

Blog, uncategorized / /

D. Joy Riley, M.D., M.A.

Executive Director

The first successful in vitro (in glass) fertilization (IVF) resulted in the birth of Louise Joy Brown in 1978 in England. Here is a brief account of that event.

Cambridge embryologist Robert Edwards gave a frank interview with The Times‘ reporter Anjana Ahjuga 25 years after the birth of Louise Brown. Edwards said, “The Vatican called Louise’s birth ‘an event that can have very grave consequences for humanity’ because it divorced the conjugal sexual act from procreation.” Edwards is quoted further:

“It was a fantastic achievement but it was about more than infertility,” ...read more

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Bioethics and Medicine: A Short Companion by C. Ben Mitchell

Book Reviews / /

A Book Review

By R. Henry Williams, M.D., M.A.

Chairman of the Board

The Tennessee Center for Bioethics & Culture

What is the essence of medical ethics as it may or should be practiced today? What is an ethical physician? What is Christian ethics? How does one’s faith impact how medicine can be practiced? These questions along with a broad look at medical ethics, from Hippocrates to today’s practicing professional, are masterfully addressed in C. Ben Mitchell’s new volume, Bioethics and Medicine – A Short Companion.

Mitchell draws on his experience as a pastor early on, who moved into his career as a bioethicist and professor, partly due ...read more

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Who Is WHO?

Blog, uncategorized, WHO / /

A Visual Primer on the World Health Organization

by D. Joy Riley, M.D., M.A.

Executive Director

The World Health Organization (WHO) arose in the aftermath of WW II. Its aim as a global organization was sound “health” for everyone, whatever his/her socioeconomic position. The word health was wide-ranging in its definition: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

First Director-General of the WHO: George Brock Chisholm

George Brock Chisholm, a Canadian, served his country during WWI. After returning home, he trained in medicine and then Freudian psychiatry. He advanced to become the first Director ...read more

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Reading the Mail of Others

Blog, Medicine & Health / /

D. Joy Riley, M.D., M.A.

Executive Director

Reading other people’s mail is usually and appropriately considered unethical.  There are a few exceptions.  One of those is when the correspondence is publicly available, even if not easily discovered.  A communication sent at the end of January, 2025, to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a case in point.  The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), The Society of Family Planning, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine together submitted a “Citizen Petition” to the FDA about Mifepristone.  Mifepristone is the first of two drugs taken to induce an abortion in a pregnant woman.  The petitioners were urging ...read more

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23andMe is Sold to Regeneron:  What happens now? 

Genetic Data, Genomic & Genetics Issues, uncategorized, United States / /

Joyce A. Shelton, Ph.D.

Professor of Biology Emerita

Trinity International University

The direct to consumer genetic testing company 23andMe, has been in bankruptcy. On May19th of this year they announced that they have sold the company and all of its assets to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for 256 million dollars. This sale means that Regeneron acquires 23andMe’s gigantic genetic databank garnered from approximately 15 million customers. Given the uniquely personal identifying information about themselves and family members that consumers share when they submit their genetic samples to companies like 23andMe, issues surrounding data security and privacy have long been a cause for ...read more

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Return of the Dire Wolf: Science Fiction or Science?

Blog, Genomic & Genetics Issues, uncategorized, United States / /

By Joyce A. Shelton, Ph.D.

The dire wolf has been the movie star of the media scene in recent days. Colossal Biosciences, a private US biotech company, has claimed in a jaw-dropping  press release to have brought back into existence an ancient animal that has been extinct for centuries. The dire wolf was recently popularized in the sci-fi/fantasy series, Game of Thrones. G of T author, George R.R. Martin, and other celebrities are donors to Colossal Biosciences.  Colossal says they have “de-extincted” the dire wolf using genetic technology. They isolated and sequenced some fragments of dire wolf DNA from a fossil tooth and skull. They then selected ...read more

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Read the Fine Print and Do NOT Be Afraid to Ask Questions

Blog, End of Life, Medicine & Health, United States / /

D. Joy Riley, M.D., M.A.

Executive Director

iStock photo

Medically-assisted suicide (MAS), under a variety of names including physician-assisted suicide, is continually pushed by the group, Compassion and Choices. Other proponents include individuals who are facing a particularly difficult diagnosis or prognosis themselves, or have been asked by loved ones to seek changes in the law that would make MAS legal. It seems this last case was operative in the presentation of HB 0598 in the Tennessee State House Population Health Subcommittee on 4 March. The MAS bill (HB 0598) was summarized as creating “a process whereby an adult ...read more

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De-coupling Pseudoscience from Real Science

uncategorized / /

By Joyce Shelton, Ph.D.

Despite President Trump’s recent executive orders, one declaring that there are only two genders, male and female, and promising to restore “biological truth to the federal government,” and another “protecting children from chemical and surgical mutilation”, controversies surrounding transgender ideology and the treatment of sex/gender-confused youth remain. Daily, beleaguered parents are faced with making heart-rending, life-altering decisions regarding the best care for their beloved children. The ideology-driven advice they receive is generally more hyper-emotional than rational. How can we help?  I propose that we eschew emotions and turn toward real evidence-based science to inform our thinking and decision-making ...read more

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20 Years!

uncategorized / /

We offer a profound “Thank you!” to our generous supporters. Because of you, The Tennessee Center for Bioethics & Culture has now entered our 20th year. Through your generosity, we continue to provide creative, provocative resources to help people confront the vital bioethics issues of our day. We do that through 

— Our website, The Tennessee Center for Bioethics & Culture

— Monthly E-newsletters

— Archived articles, available here

— Providing speakers for schools and universities, as well as civic groups

— Art Lending Program for colleges and universities

— Special Programs

Questions? Contact us here.

With sincere wishes for a 

Blessed New Year for ...read more

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Choppy Waters in the Gene Pool: 23andMe is Going Under

Blog, Genetic Data / /

by Joyce A. Shelton, Ph.D.

Professor of Biology Emerita Trinity International University 

23andMe, the personal genetic testing company is drowning. Around this time a year ago, we wrote about the massive database hack in which the genetic profiles of 6.9 million 23andMe customers were stolen and offered for sale on the internet, a severe attack on their privacy. Since then, the once thriving company has been on a steadily downward trajectory. Pretty quickly they were hit with a $30 million class action lawsuit resulting in $10,000 individual payouts to victims. Two months ago their stock was in serious trouble and their entire ...read more

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