This small volume is designed to provoke thought about key question in modern research ethics. The result of a three-year collaboration between the nation’s two leading Catholic institutions devoted to medical ethics, The Catholic Medical Association and The National Catholic Bioethics Center, A Catholic Guide to Ethical Clinical Research attempts to resolve a series of real-life cases in research ethics by applying four key principles of the moral life, namely, truth, respect for life, the integrity of persons, and the conjoined ideas of generosity and justice. After a description of these principles, the authors turn to a remarkably wide range of cases on such diverse topics as informed consent, non-directed research, embryonic stem cells, in vitro fertilization, contraception, genetic modification, performance-enhancement, the selection of drugs for development, studies on poor or underprivileged populations, off-label use, and many other common cases in research ethics. The principles presented are true and certain, but the cases represent probable opinions. While the authors are certainly convinced of the merits of their own position, they resolve these cases in a manner that is designed to provoke the thoughtful reaction of the reader and so generate discussion. The main purpose of the volume is to show how principles should be applied to particular cases, thus providing a clinic in moral reasoning. To see and understand how the principles are applied in these particular cases should assist the reader in seeing how the same could be applied in other and perhaps very dissimilar cases. The opinions offered are the best-informed and most orthodox that could be expected from any assembly of Catholic scholars. Clinical research is a vitally important field of medicine that poses many moral challenges for the conscientious Catholic. This guide is a practical manual on how to think about the moral problems that confront the typical worker in the research setting today.

Despite the donation of billions of dollars in the fight against AIDS, the disease remains without cure and continues to spread. Why has so little progress been made? Using abundant evidence drawn from the latest scientific research, Hanley and de Irala show that the most effective method of combating the AIDS crisis is through sexual abstinence and fidelity in marriage. Where this strategy has been employed, especially in African countries such as Uganda, the decline in AIDS has been remarkable. Yet this common-sense strategy is rejected by the leading advocates for the victims of AIDS and is ignored by public policy experts, the media, and governments. The problem, the authors note, is an ideological bias against methods that rely on self-control and behavior change. Despite the effectiveness of these methods, they remain outcasts in the struggle to contain one of the world’s most devastating diseases.

Hanley and de Irala turn the tables on this defeatist mentality, arguing that ideological commitments need to be set aside in favor of efforts to change human behavior. The big-money interests that control the vast amount of wealth directed to AIDS prevention will not want to read this volume, but the evidence lies with the teachings of the Catholic Church, which has been counseling self-control, abstinence, and fidelity in marriage throughout the millennia. In his foreword, Harvard professor Edward Green reiterates, through his own experience, the success of this method.

First published in 1960 to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of Bill Buckley’s brash, consequential magazine of opinion, An Evening with National Review: Some Memorable Articles from the First Five Years is republished, in its exact form, for the enjoyment of today’s conservatives, who can see why the great writers who made National Review their journalistic home in the late 1950s — people such as Whittaker Chambers, Russell Kirk, Morrie Ryskind, and many others(including renowned cartoonists C.D. Batchelor and John Kreuttner) — remain worthwhile, entertaining, and timeless.

* William F. Buckley Jr. — founder of National Review
* Whittaker Chambers — author of the classic memoir Witness
* Russell Kirk — godfather of the modern conservative movement
* James Jackson Kilpatrick — leading conservative journalist
* Morrie Ryskind — renowned humorist and screenwriter
* Frank S. Meyer — influential conservative thinker and advocate of “fusionism”
* Garry Wills — award-winning author first published in National Review
* Ralph de Toledano — important conservative journalist and music critic
* Dorothy Sayers — best-selling British novelist and essayist
* John Chamberlain — America’s premier book reviewer
* James Burnham — preeminent conservative thinker and writer
* Priscilla L. Buckley — National Review’s managing editor

This second edition has been completely revised and updated to reflect recent developments in magisterial teaching and scientific research. More than thirty authors, who are experts in their fields, examine moral action theory, key ethical principles, ethics committees, the embryo and fetus, contraception, reproductive technologies, difficult pregnancies, rape protocols, the determination of death, palliative care, nutrition and hydration, the persistent vegetative state, do-not-resuscitate orders, health care proxies, organ donation, vaccination refusals, genetic medicine, human experimentation, religious freedom, triage, cooperation with evil, state mandates, organizational ethics, and other topics.

Now Available as an E-Book!

In Generosity Unbound, Claire Gaudiani mounts a spirited defense of philanthropic freedom addressed to conservatives, liberals and centrists. She acknowledges the good intentions of those who favor greater regulation of private philanthropy, but powerfully demonstrates the dangers of this approach.

But this book is more than a warning. Gaudiani also uncovers the fascinating history of philanthropy in America, showing how this nation’s distinctive tradition of citizen-to-citizen generosity has been a powerful engine of economic growth, social justice, and upward mobility.

Finally, Gaudiani calls on foundation leaders, legislators, and concerned citizens to take up anew the great challenge set forth by our nation’s Founders in the Declaration of Independence.  She proposes an all-out citizen-led effort to deliver on the Declaration’s promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all of us, particularly our poorest citizens.  The success of such a ‘Declaration Initiative’ would enable us to justly celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday on July 4th, 2026.

Claire Gaudiani is adjunct professor at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University and a senior fellow at the Institute for American Values. She served from 1988-2001 as president of Connecticut College and from 2001-2004 as a senior research scholar at the Yale Law School.  She holds ten honorary doctorates and was awarded the Henry Rosso Medal for distinguished service to philanthropy from the Center for Philanthropy at Indiana University. Her previous books included The Greater Good: How Philanthropy Drives the American Economy and Can Save Capitalism and Generosity Rules! A Guidebook to Giving.

What They Are Saying:

“Claire Gaudiani has a well-earned reputation as one of the leading thinkers about American philanthropy. Here she analyzes the challenges of coming years and shows how we can unleash the full idealism and generosity of the nation. She has made yet another welcome contribution.”—David Gergen, Director, Center for Public Leadership, The Kennedy School, Harvard University

“Generosity Unbound unmasks Gaudiani as an unreconstructed, unapologetic believer in the transformative potential of American-style philanthropy. Drawing on appeals to history, reason, pride, and passion, she invites us to envision a role for philanthropy that is worthy of its past. Gaudiani’s ‘Declaration Initiative’ would commit philanthropy to a cause no less noble, ambitious, and essential than that of ending persistent poverty and, at long last, affording all Americans true access to the equal opportunity that lies at the core of the democratic ideal.”—Ralph Smith, Executive Vice President, The Annie E. Casey Foundation

“Gaudiani presents a timely solution to the economic and political crises facing our nation. Generosity Unbound is a fresh look at America’s philanthropic past and how private foundations can be the vanguard of a path back to prosperity— for those hit hardest by the recession, and for our entire nation. ”—Edwin J. Feulner, Jr., President, Heritage Foundation

“Critics of wealthy foundations would do well to read Claire Gaudiani’s powerfully argued defense of American philanthropic freedom. And those who wish to preserve this freedom would do well to consider her bold ‘Declaration Initiative.’ Let’s see what entrepreneurial generosity can accomplish when mobilized around a set of goals consistent with this country’s founding vision.”—J. Gregory Dees, professor, Center for the Advancement of Social, Entrepreneurship, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University

“Claire Gaudiani shows eloquently that the generosity of the American people is rooted in our freedom and our freedom is rooted in our generosity. And she issues a stirring call for new philanthropic leadership that will open the gates of opportunity for all Americans.”—Adam Meyerson, President, Philanthropy Roundtable

“While some would suggest that philanthropy is on its heels, Claire Gaudiani shows us the potential that America’s philanthropic sector has to activate our country’s moral leadership and unleash citizen generosity for the purpose of addressing our unfinished quest for justice for all.”—Tracy Gary, author and founder, Inspired Legacies and The Progressive Legacy Project

“Claire Gaudiani’s Generosity Unbound is a welcome dose of ‘common sense for the common good’ of our nation. Her challenge to philanthropic leaders of all political stripes—left, right, and center—to gather around a shared goal of meaningful opportunity and prosperity for all Americans should be heeded. Perhaps philanthropy can model what too many of our political leaders seem to be unable or unwilling to do: construct a safe place where our nation’s ideas are not needlessly trampled by ideologies.”—Robert K. Ross, M.D., President and CEO, The California Endowment

“Generosity Unbound shows how the philanthropic tradition is firmly rooted in American history and culture. It serves as a critical inspiration and challenge to today’s leaders to preserve the freedom and opportunity that make this tradition a uniquely vibrant force for good in the world.”—James Piereson, President, William E. Simon Foundation

“In this vitally important book, Claire Gaudiani convincingly makes the case that philanthropy has the capacity—and must use it—to heal the divisions in our society and to advance a renewed and enduring commitment to social justice that meets the challenges of our times.”—Stephen Heintz, President, Rockefeller Brothers Fund

This popular classroom text appears in a revised third edition with updates on nutrition and hydration, the persistent vegetative state, stem cell research, euthanasia, important court rulings, and many other topics critical to today’s health care profession.

The work is divided into three main sections: “Personhood,” which considers the use of faith and reason in the analysis of moral questions in medical decision-making and bioethics; “The Beginning of Human Life,” which examines the origin of the person, abortion, various reproductive technologies, and stem cell research; and “The End of Human Life,” which considers organ transplantation, suicide, decisions about prolonging life, and the determination of death. The appendices include a new chapter on eugenics, discussions of difficult end-of-life cases, the Declaration on Euthanasia, and the two Vatican instructions Donum vitae (1987) and Dignitas personae (2008). Each chapter has newly revised review questions that reiterate key points from the text and a set of discussion questions for generating student participation in classroom settings.

The text is written in an authoritative manner that is geared for the average student. Father Leies includes many interesting stories and analogies. This is a great textbook for the classroom setting. Each chapter includes review questions and discussion questions

Rev. John A. Leies is professor of theology and former President Emeritus of St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, where he has been named as an Outstanding Faculty Member of the School of Arts and Social Sciences and the Graduate School.

What They Are Saying:

“Rarely has the need for formation in moral conscience been more urgent. The revised third edition of John Leies’s Handbook of Critical Life Issues provides students with an easy to understand guide to questions of conscience that bear directly on the practice and delivery of health care. If we are to arrest the growing epidemic of moral relativism in our culture, we must focus, as Leies does, on the dignity of the human person.  While retaining its previous emphasis on topics in beginning- and end-of-life issues, this general revision provides new information on eugenics and stem cell research, Catholic teaching on nutrition and hydration, revised discussion questions, expanded appendices, and updated references. The Handbook should be a required text in the moral formation of all students in the health care professions.” — Bro. Ignatius Perkins, OP, PhD, RN, Dean and Professor of Nursing, Aquinas College, Nashville

An appreciation for the papacy of John Paul II, this volume was produced shortly after his death on April 2, 2005. Two of his encyclicals come in for close examination, namely Evangelium vitae, the great essay on the good of human life, and Veritatis splendor, the Pope’s examination of act of moral judgment. Dr. John Haas situates the concerns of Evangelium vitae within the context of American culture, while Father Kevin Flannery, S.J., looks at from the perspective of contemporary debates in moral theology, Veritatis splendor providing two illustrative examples: the provision of nutrition and hydration to debilitated patients and the use of condoms by those infected with AIDs. The topic of food and water is examined by Richard Doerflinger, whose offers a perceptive set of reflections on John Paul II’s controversial statement on patients in a persistent vegetative state. Sarah-Vaughn Brakman takes a more comprehensive look at the writing of John Paul, offering an assessment of the key moral principles he advanced. Other topics of interest include presentations on stem cell research and cloning by Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, on surgical sterilization by Monsignor Russell Smith, and on the work of Dr. Thomas Hilgers, the father of NaProTechnology, a method of increasing the fertility of patients who are facing difficulties conceiving. Sr. Renee Mirkes, O.S.F., provides a wealth of detail about the techniques and effectiveness of this approach, one which is fully compatible with Catholic teaching on human sexuality. There are also entries on the corporate concerns of Catholic health care, including the problem of the uninsured and underinsured, by Anthony Tersigni, President and CEO of Ascension Health, how Catholic institutions can advance its vision of health care in a culture that rejects our vision of health care by Peter Cataldo, and a look at the challenges facing the Catholic provision of health care in Europe and Latin America. Additional essays discuss the very practical subjects of organ donation, vaccination refusals, and rape protocols.

Edward J. Furton, Ph.D., is an ethicist and Director of Publications at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In Love and Economics: It Takes a Family to Raise a Village economist Jennifer  Roback Morse explains how the economy, which appears to a series of impersonal exchanges, is actually based upon love. Morse also shows how the political order—Hillary Clinton’s “village”—depends upon the prior existence of loving families.

Drawing on the experience of neglected orphans, Morse argues that mothers create the basic attachments that lay the groundwork for the development of conscience. Furthermore, only the family can socialize children to use their freedom responsibly. No social program can take the place of mothers and fathers working together as a team. Unfortunately, stay-at-home mothers are often denigrated by feminists and always squeezed by the economy. Love and Economics defends the economic value of motherhood and outlines a better economic way forward.

Jennifer Roback Morse is a renowned marriage and family scholar. She is the author of Smart Sex: Finding Life-Long Love in a Hook-up World and of numerous major academic and public policy articles for journals ranging from the Journal of Economic History to Forbes, Fortune, and the Wall Street Journal.