A Catholic Seminar on Infertility, IVF and Dying Well
Sacred Decisions on Life and Death: A Catholic Seminar on Infertility, IVF, and Dying Well
Presented by: Fr. Tad Pacholczyk – Catholic Priest, Neuroscientist, & Ethicist
Sponsored by the Office of Missionary Discipleship and the Office of Prolife Activities
Saturday, November 8th, 9 AM - 1 PM
Our Lady of Consolation Hall (Holy Martyrs Parish)
8303 Taft Street
Merrillville, IN 46410
Free admission but free-will offering is welcomed! Join us for one or both talks.
Registration is not necessary, but appreciated. RSVP here.
About the Sessions:
Session #1 9:15 - 10:45: Infertility and IVF
When a couple has unimpeded marital relations for a year without conceiving a child, they are often considered to be facing issues of infertility. The phenomenon is not uncommon, with one in six couples reportedly infertile. Married couples will often be encouraged by family, friends and the mass media to turn to IVF as a solution. As spouses and friends become more aware of their situation and face uncertainty about the future, they may wonder about a range of important questions:
- What is the Catholic perspective on IVF?
- What is the difference between assisting and replacing the marital act?
- What are NaProTechnology and FEMM and what approaches do they offer to infertile couples?
Session #2 11:00 - 12:30: The Gift of Dying Well
End of life medical decisions can be challenging. The availability of so many options and complex technologies can be daunting to families dealing with a sick family member. We may wonder:
- Is a ventilator required?
- What about morphine?
- Should I have a Living Will?
About the Presenter: Fr. Tad Pacholczyk
Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D. currently serves as Senior Ethicist at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. Fr. Tad is a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts. He writes and speaks widely on bioethics and medical ethics. Since 2001, he has given several hundred presentations and invited lectures, and participated in debates and roundtables on contemporary bioethics throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
As an undergraduate Fr. Tad earned degrees in philosophy, biochemistry, molecular cell biology, and chemistry, and did laboratory research on hormonal regulation of the immune response. He later earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Yale University, where he focused on cloning genes for neurotransmitter transporters which are expressed in the brain. Father Tad studied for 5 years in Rome at both the Gregorian University and the Lateran University, where he did advanced work in dogmatic theology and in bioethics, examining the question of delayed ensoulment of the human embryo.
He has testified before members of the Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Virginia and Oregon State Legislatures during deliberations over stem cell research and cloning. In 2020, he was appointed to the National Institutes of Health Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory Board. He has done commentaries for numerous media outlets, including NBC Nightly News, CNN International, ABC World News Tonight, National Public Radio, the Wall Street Journal, the Dallas Morning News, and the New York Times.