There are large numbers of babies dying in America’s poorest neighborhoods. Ground zero for U.S. infant deaths is the poorest part of Memphis, Tennessee. More →

July 14, 2006

Tony Lazzara was a successful doctor living a comfortable life in the United States, but he left it all behind so he could follow the example of St. Francis of Assisi and help poor, handicapped children in Peru. More →

May 19, 2006

Expanding medical technologies continue to create a host of new ethical dilemmas. Researchers can now detect early in a pregnancy if a fetus has Down Syndrome. The condition usually results in some degree of physical and mental disability, and armed with that information, some expectant parents face the wrenching decision of whether to terminate the pregnancy. More →

March 31, 2006

One of the numerous ways that people in this country try to get fit these days is through the practice of yoga. There are many different forms of this discipline, but the most commonly taught is called Iyengar. It’s named for the Indian guru B.K.S. Iyengar, who teaches that yoga has a deeply spiritual component uniting the body, mind and soul. More →

January 6, 2006

Terminally ill patients exercise their “right to die” when they want their suffering to end, but what about those who want to live? A British court ruled that a doctor can decide when to terminate a patient’s life. Leslie Burke suffers from cerebral ataxia and will eventually lose his ability to speak and swallow, yet he is concerned that doctors will choose to end his life against his wishes. More →

August 26, 2005

Drug makers and neuroscientists are enhancing what human brains can do, but what are the implications of these developments? For instance, what if brain researchers someday learn to find out what a patient is thinking? Or to predict a disabling disease? Or, right now, what about so-called “smart pills” that improve a college student’s performance on an exam? More →

July 15, 2005

Mary Jo and Leslie, both Presbyterians, were confronted with the same agonizing dilemma. They were pregnant with fetuses that had major defects, and each woman had to decide whether to give birth or terminate her pregnancy. More →

April 15, 2005

Sister Mary Andrew Matesich is a nun, a scientist, a former college president, and now, a cancer patient who learned not only how to accept her disease but how to help others because of it. More →

November 12, 2004

The yoga tradition goes back thousands of years, to ancient Indian philosophy and the Hindu religion. In this country, many Americans find the beginning exercises of yoga good ways to reduce stress. But lifelong practitioners also find it very much a spiritual discipline, using the most severe postures to help quiet the mind and achieve a sense of union with the transcendent. More →

October 15, 2004

Read the R&E interview with Archbishop Thomas Kelly of Louisville, Kentucky about end-of-life issues. More →

May 21, 2004