Radio Shows
2020
LA Catholic Morning Radio Interview Archives
Topic: Vaccinations
To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate. In today's show Father Tad addresses the idea of vaccinations broadly, including risks and benefits, and then discusses the new Covid-19 vaccines. He stresses the importance of proper clinical trials before vaccines are made available to the public to verify their safety. Those with allergies or suppressed immune systems are among those who may have strong medical grounds to decline certain vaccinations. Concerns around the testing of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines and how they were developed, including the extent of their involvement with abortion-derived cell lines are also discussed.
Broadcast Date: November 25, 2020
Topic: The Vatican's Statement on Euthanasia
Assuring the Dignity of the Dying Process. Father Tad and the hosts review the Vatican's 2020 statement on Euthanasia “Samaritanus bonus” from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which deals with the care of persons in the critical and terminal phases of life. They discuss how euthanasia offers a false answer, while the real answer involves responsibly and generously caring for the sick until life’s natural conclusion, providing proper pain management/palliative care, and carefully choosing ordinary means while not hesitating to decline heroics, as well as providing strong spiritual support to the infirm.
Broadcast Date: September 30, 2020
Topic: The Dignity of the Human Person
Human Beings are not Lab Rats. Father Tad and the hosts look at the abuse of the most vulnerable that can occur when scientists diminish and depersonalize research participants, as occurred in the infamous case of the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male, a government research protocol that enrolled 399 impoverished share-croppers in Alabama. They also discuss the situation of forced sterilizations and involuntary institutionalization of citizens in our nation’s past. The connections to a utilitarian viewpoint are explored as well as the continuing challenges our country faces with acknowledging the dignity of individual persons no matter how vulnerable, in situations ranging from abortion to euthanasia.
Broadcast Date: August 19, 2020
Topic: The Weight of Our Moral Words
Language and Veiling and Unveiling Moral Truth. In this show, the focus is on the importance of words and how they are used. Over the time there has been an attempt to commandeer language when it comes to moral disputes and disagreements. This is often done in a subtle effort to make the intolerable palatable. The hosts and Father Tad discuss examples of this in our society such as the use of the term "Pro-Choice" instead of "Pro Baby Killing" and "Contraception" instead of 'Life Prevention." They conclude their discussion looking at some Nazi-era documents found at the Dietrich Bonhoeffer house and how their contrived and obfuscatory language and descriptions contributed to hiding some of the most heinous and immoral actions of the regime. The show closes considering the need to reclaim language and to safeguard the authentic meaning of words in their direct significations.
Broadcast Date: July 22, 2020
Topic: Spiritual Lessons from the Pandemic
Sub Specie Aeternitatis. In today's show Father Tad discusses concerns of the soul during the pandemic including the rampant fear and uncertainty that is invariably a part of any new pandemic. He notes that it can be tempting for us to reach out towards vaccines to calm our preoccupations and restore predictability to our future, but in the final analysis, it is only God who opens a real path for us beyond our fears, and we must acquire the spiritual discipline of viewing everything under the lens of eternity.
Broadcast Date: June 17, 2020
Topic: The Challenges of Making New Vaccines
Ethical Risks in the Scramble for a COVID Vaccine. In today's show Father Tad and the hosts discuss the typical timeline for producing a new vaccine as well as the need for proper and transparent testing. They also consider the problems with "science by press release," rather than the sometimes slower process of peer-review, as well as the temptation to skip or abbreviate trials out of a sense of panic as new threats arise. They conclude by considering the importance of sharing full data sets during the course of vaccine trials, so the public can be accurately appraised of risks and progress.
Broadcast Date: May 5, 2020
Topic: Ventilator Rationing
Triage and Rationing in the Midst of a Pandemic. Father Tad discusses the ethical issues around removing a ventilator from one person who has been using it, resulting in their death, and passing it onto another who would be expected to benefit from it.
Broadcast Date: April 29, 2020
Topic: 100 Love Letters
The Beauty of Life and the Grace in Suffering. Father Tad and the hosts discuss an article from the Wall Street Journal about a man whose battle with cancer led him to want and plan to commit suicide. His daughter’s loving response was to write him a brief e-mail or supportive note each day letting him know he was loved and sharing little stories and treasured memories from their life together. The real sadness of suicide is discussed, as well as how to care for those who are tempted in this direction by lovingly, creatively and patiently supporting them in their most challenging moments.
Broadcast Date: March 25, 2020
Topics: Christian Girls and Abortion; Alzheimer's and Dementia
The Need for Support in Difficult Times. Father Tad considers the question of why Christian girls get abortions. Central to the discussion is the need for family support and help for the mother and the unborn child when an unexpected pregnancy occurs. In particular, for parents who are strong Christians themselves, and counseling chastity to their daughters, there is still a real need to emphasize: "Even if you do get pregnant, you know I have your back and will be there for you!"
The Dignity of a Human Being Even in Suffering. What constitutes proper care and treatment for the elderly carrying the cross of Alzheimer's or Dementia? How do we fully respect their shared humanity with us? Father discusses the temptations of the disposable culture we live in and affirms the abiding dignity of those who carry this cross.
Broadcast Date: February 19, 2020
Topics: The Hippocratic Oath for Doctors; Chinese Scientists Genetically Modify Human Babies
Safeguarding the Sacredness of Medicine. Father Tad talks with Todd and Michelle about the Hippocratic Oath, an oath written by the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, and packed with natural law insights about medicine, health care, and the sacredness of the patient in medical practice.
Assuring that Scientific Research is Ethical. During the second half, they discuss the scientist who produced the first gene-edited babies surreptitiously, and the response of the Chinese authorities and the scientific community, looking especially at the question of whether scientists really are able to ethically police their own research activities.
Broadcast Date: January 29, 2020
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