D. Joy Riley, M.D., M.A.
Executive Director
What do you think about organ donation? Does any one (or more) of these choices describe your position?
1) Organ donation is an unadulterated good.
2) Organ donation is a privilege and/or a responsibility.
3) Organ donation should be voluntary.
4) Organ donation should be a reality for all who die, if their organs are transplantable.
5) The ...read more
Organ Donation Machinations Read More »
D. Joy Riley, M.D., M.A.
Executive Director
The Tennessee Center for Bioethics & Culture recently responded to a proposed rule of the federal government. It was an opportunity to bring a reasoned voice to potential policy decisions. The full statement can be accessed here; the gist of the statement follows . . .
The Tennessee Center for Bioethics & Culture supports human dignity for all humans, however vulnerable they may be. Our position is that 1) There should be NO overlap ...read more
Making a Statement Read More »
Janet Liljestrand, M.D., M.A. Mr. B was in solitary confinement. His crime? Candida auris, a fungus which is particularly difficult to treat, grew from one of his cultures taken during a fever while a patient in a nursing home. Referred to as an opportunistic infection, the average person is unlikely to become ill with C. auris, but those in poor health or with an immune deficiency are susceptible. The CDC has recommended that a patient who has a culture that is positive for C. auris, regardless of the site of the culture, be in isolation for the duration ...read more
Mr. B in Solitary Confinement Read More »
D. Joy Riley, M.D., M.A. Executive Director A number of years ago, I was out of town when we had significant flooding at home. There was some leaking of water into the basement, and one of our then-teenage sons decided to make sure I would be aware of where exactly the leaks had appeared. He used a hot pink permanent marker to delineate the problem on the drywall for me. When my husband arrived home at the end of a full day, he became rather “excited” about our son’s decision. Thankfully, an older son found a solution to ...read more
Permanent or Irreversible: What Difference Does It Make? Read More »
Joyce A. Shelton, Ph.D. Professor of Biology Emerita Trinity International University
As we emerge from the shadow of a worldwide pandemic that forced society to seek safety in unprecedented government control, we are finding that governments are now unwilling to hand back the reins to the populace. New laws, hastily passed, are designed to limit individual freedoms and solidify the power of policy makers over our lives. Frequently, we are told that these laws are for own good and/or the good of our society. Those who disagree are often marginalized, cancelled, or even arrested, accused of obstructing needed liberal social change. Hard earned ...read more
My Life, My Death, My Choice … or NOT Read More »
D. Joy Riley, M.D., M.A.
Executive Director
30 November 2022
Her son asked if I could be there by 9:00 A.M., when the hospitalist would likely make rounds. I agreed, and made the three-hour journey on a Monday in November. My friend was the patient, and I, a visitor. What I saw in the ensuing hours made me beyond sad. A nurse came in to “take her vitals.” That meant she wheeled in a cart with various measuring components: a wristband to measure ...read more
A Day in the Life of a Patient Read More »
D. Joy Riley, M.D., M.A. Executive Director
Summer often presents us with some time to relax, rejuvenate, and read. We thought you may wish to know what we’re reading. We’d enjoy receiving your comments about any of these after you’ve read them. You can contact us here. You are welcome to share with us what you’re reading as well!
C. Ben Mitchell, Ph.D.:All That Moves Us by Jay Wellons: 9780593243367 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
Irreversible Damage – The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters | Regnery Publishing
You’re Only Human | Baker Publishing Group
Joyce A. Shelton, Ph.D.:Synthetic mouse embryos created from stem cells — without sperm, eggs, ...read more
What We’re Reading Read More »
C. Ben Mitchell, Ph.D.
Distinguished Fellow
The Tennessee Center for Bioethics & Culture
We’re all too familiar with those awkward television commercials for drugs whose names cannot be pronounced because they have too many consonants. To be fair, drug manufacturers have run out of eloquent ways to combine the letters of the alphabet, so they just string them together as best they can. But beyond the alphabet soup, the television voice recites a sometimes-arresting list of possible complications of taking the drug: dizziness, ...read more
Informed Consent: A Hazy Concept Read More »
Joyce A. Shelton, Ph.D. Professor of Biology Emerita Trinity International University
Successful xenotransplantation, animal donor to human recipient organ transfer, is the holy grail for medical doctors and scientists who study organ transplant. Why? Approximately 107,000 people are awaiting organ transplant in the US. Most will wait up to 2 to 3 years. About 17 people die per day because there are not enough organs available to meet the demand (1). Animal organs that have been genetically engineered to remove tissue molecules that cause transplant rejection would go a long way toward relieving the organ shortage.
A recently proclaimed major transplantation breakthrough attracted widespread ...read more
www.CartoonStock.com
C. Ben Mitchell, Ph.D. Distinguished Fellow
Medically assisted deaths rose by 17% in 2020, continuing upward trend: Health CanadaBy Joan Bryden The Canadian Press Posted June 8, 2021 1:01 am
I have several concerns about this situation:
For Health Canada, the government health service, to provide access to P-AS is a financial conflict of interest. Medicalized suicide should not be in the hands of those who hold the purse strings. Pain is manageable but other forms of suffering are not best treated with analgesics. True palliative care must address all forms of suffering. Medicine should not be coopted by the P-AS ...read moreWhat We’re Reading Read More »
