Jeremy Waldron has posted a paper arguing that the idea of every human being having “equal moral status” is useful only if we distinguish between “sortal” and “condition” status. He notes that the paper was originally prepared for the 2004 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association. He explains “sortal” and “condition” status this […]
Author: Teresa Collett
Teresa Stanton Collett is a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she teaches bioethics, property law, and constitutional law. A nationally prominent speaker and scholar, she is active in attempts to rebuild the Culture of Life and protect the institutions of marriage and family. She often represents groups of state legislators, the Catholic Medical Association, and the Christian Medical and Dental Association in appellate case related to medical-legal matters. She represented the governors of Minnesota and North Dakota before the U.S. Supreme Court as amici curiae regarding the effectiveness of those states’ parental involvement laws. She has served as special attorney general for Oklahoma and Kansas related to legislation designed to protect the well-being of minors and unborn children. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute and has testified before committees of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittees on the Constitution, as well as numerous legislative committees in the states.
In 1974 Austria removed all criminal penalties for abortions in the first three months of pregancy. While most people interpret this action as making abortion legal, some public authorities argue that the change merely removed any penalty for conduct that remains illegal (or at least publiclly disfavored). The change was challenged on the basis that […]
The NYT reports that parents of infants in China are claiming that government officials are abducting their children and selling them on the black market. The story is here. Congressman Chris Smith (NJ), a staunch prolifer, has worked for years to awaken the American people and government to the evils of China’s one child policy. […]
The FDA has issued an a warning to consumers regarding Evital, an unapproved emergancy contraception pill. The warning can be found here. Commentators have noted that Plan B One Step and Next Choice are the only FDA approved emergency contraception drugs. The American Association of Prolife Obstetricians and Gynecologists have a webpage containing information on […]
At our June meeting the Board of Directors decided to reinstitute publication of “Pro Vita,” our association newsletter. We are excited to announce that Dr. Robert F. Gotcher has agreed to serve as editor for the next three years. Dr. Gotcher most recently served as Associate Professor of Systematic Studies at Sacred Heart School of […]
Prof. Greg Dolin says yes in his article, A Defense fo Embryonic Stem Cell Research, on SSRN. Originally published in Fall 2009 issue of the Indiana Law Journal, Prof. Dolin argues that the fact that an embryo is a human life does not morally preclude all destructive stem cell research and that a person can […]
UFL member Lynn Wardle has posted two of his articles on the need to protect the rights of conscience on SSRN. I have described SSRN in a previous post here. Professor Wardle’s article, Protection of Healthcare Providers’ Rights of Conscience in American Law: Present, Past, and Future, is part of a series of articles presented […]
The August 4 issue of New England Journal of Medicine contains an article by Prof. George Annas entitled Assisted Reproduction – Canada’s Supreme Court and the “Global Baby“. He adopts the phrase “global baby” from a Wall Street Journal article found here about the growth of human surrogacy as an international trade. Prof. Annas notes […]
This post falls into the “good news/bad news” category. The new United Nations Office, UN-Women, has published its 2011 report on the status of women, Progress of the World’s Women: In Pursuit of Justice. The full report was originally available here, but the link currently does not work. The report focuses on four key areas: […]
The Farewell Foundation for the Right to Die has filed suit challenging the Registrar of Corporations denial of the organization’s application to incorporate. The Registrar denied the application on the basis that organizing to assist those who seek to commit suicide is not a legally permissible purpose. The petition in the law suit is available […]