In this powerful episode of Bioethics Babe, Emma Waters, a policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation's Center for Technology and the Human Person, joins Arina Grossu Agnew to unpack the hidden costs of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and the ethical questions surrounding the fertility industry.

While IVF is often hailed as a miracle solution for infertility, few people stop to ask what’s lost when life begins in a lab instead of the womb. Emma explains why IVF bypasses the real causes of infertility, the moral and physical risks it poses, and how Restorative Reproductive Medicine (RRM) offers a healthier, more human-centered alternative that heals the body rather than replacing it.

We discuss:

• The physical and emotional risks of IVF
• What really happens in the IVF process
• The hidden ethical costs of embryo creation, selection, and destruction
• Why restorative reproductive medicine treats infertility at its root
• How technology is reshaping our understanding of family and human life
• Why fertility care should serve both science and human dignity

If you’ve ever wondered what IVF means for medicine, parenthood, and the value of human life, this conversation will challenge you to think deeper.

📚For Episode Resources, please visit the episode page: https://bioethicsbabe.com/inside-the-ivf-industry-the-hidden-costs-of-creating-humans-in-a-lab-and-the-restorative-alternative-with-emma-waters-ep-8/.

For more information, the latest episodes, and additional resources, visit www.bioethicsbabe.com.

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XOXO,

Bioethics Babe

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We’re told that changing a child’s name, pronouns, and identity is an act of love, but what if that so-called "affirmation" is actually the start of a dangerous medical experiment?

Pediatrician, researcher, former Executive Director of the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds), and the current Chair of the ACPeds Adolescent Sexuality Committee, Dr. Michelle Cretella says social transition isn’t harmless—it can confuse children when they are not being told the truth about their identity as male or female, disrupt their normal development, and lead them down the path of chemical and surgical interventions.

On this episode of the Bioethics Babe podcast, we’re identifying the hidden risks of social transition in children—and asking the hard questions no one else will. Are we trading science for ideology and having children pay the price?

From pronoun changes to school policies that exclude parents, Dr. Cretella argues that today’s “affirmation” model is not compassionate care—it’s ideological coercion.

Drawing on years of pediatric experience, she breaks down how social transition impacts child development, why medical organizations have gone silent, and what parents can do to push back against the growing influence of gender ideology in medicine and education.

We discuss:

• What social transition really means—and why it’s harmful
• The psychological and developmental fallout of early affirmation
• How schools are bypassing parents when it comes to children with sexual identity disorder
• Why social transition is a dangerous experiment on kids
• The medical and ethical crisis inside pediatric medicine

Dr. Cretella is known for challenging the medical establishment on issues of sexual identity disorder, and she will share with us why she believes this growing trend deserves urgent ethical, medical, and parental scrutiny.

This episode is part of the Sexual Identity Disorder Series. Part 1 is Episode 4

📚For Episode Resources, please visit the episode page: https://bioethicsbabe.com/the-social-transition-trap-a-pediatrician-exposes-the-hidden-risks-to-kids-with-sexual-identity-disorder-with-dr-michelle-cretella-part-2-ep-7/

For more information, the latest episodes, and additional resources, visit www.bioethicsbabe.com.

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XOXO,

Bioethics Babe

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Did you know that a woman can only get pregnant a few days each month — and that her body gives her clear signs of when those days are?

In this episode of The Bioethics Babe Podcast, Dr. Marguerite Duane, board-certified family physician and co-founder of FACTS About Fertility, reveals the science behind fertility awareness and restorative reproductive medicine.

Dr. Duane shares how a night hospital shift changed her entire understanding of women’s health, why fertility awareness is not the old ‘rhythm or calendar method,’ and how tracking a woman's natural biomarkers — like cervical fluid, basal body temperature, and hormone levels — can help women and couples understand their fertility, address root causes of reproductive health issues, and move beyond the era of unhealthy hormonal contraception. Dr. Duane has become a national leader in fertility awareness education.

Whether a woman is trying to conceive, manage her health naturally, or simply wants to understand her body better, this conversation will change how you think about women’s health and couples’ fertility.

We discuss:

• How Dr. Duane discovered fertility awareness during residency
• The truth about fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) vs. the rhythm method
• How cervical fluid, hormones, and temperature reveal fertility
• The medical science behind FABMs
• What apps and tools actually work — and which ones to avoid
• The mission of FACTS and how it’s transforming medical education
• Why fertility awareness is for every woman and for couples

For more information, the latest episodes, and additional resources, visit www.bioethicsbabe.com.

📚For Episode Resources, please visit the episode page: https://bioethicsbabe.com/the-science-of-fertility-rethinking-womens-reproductive-health-with-dr-marguerite-duane-ep-6/

Thank you for tuning in!

XOXO,

Bioethics Babe

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What if everything you’ve heard about the abortion pill isn’t the full story?

Nearly two-thirds of all U.S. abortions are chemical abortions. Board-certified OB-GYN Dr. Donna Harrison, Director of Research for the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), joins Bioethics Babe to pull back the curtain on chemical abortion — from how mifepristone (RU-486) and misoprostol actually work in a woman’s body, to the hidden complications women face, to the behind the scenes schemes at the upper echelons of power that took place to get the abortion pill to America. Did you know that the Population Council created a Cayman Islands shell company called Danco in order to get mifepristone to the U.S.? Did you know that taxpayer dollars helped develop RU-486 with the help of the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Services? Did you know that Planned Parenthood helped test and distribute the drug or that the FDA quietly loosened safeguards putting women’s health at risk, or why so many adverse events go unreported?

We discuss:

💊 The history and FDA approval of the abortion pill

⚕️ How medical training now pressures doctors to perform abortions

🧬 How women have been left to manage abortions alone and the physical and emotional toll of chemical abortion

🚨 What’s missing from the “empowerment” narrative

🌎 The global and environmental consequences

❤️ What true woman-centered care should look like.

This episode exposes the loopholes, the misinformation, and the lives at stake — and challenges listeners to rethink what “safe and legal” really means when it comes to the abortion pill.

Trigger Warning: This episode includes medical and personal discussions about abortion and pregnancy loss that may be difficult for some listeners. Please use discretion and take care while listening.

For more information, the latest episodes, and additional resources, visit www.bioethicsbabe.com.

To see all the Episode Resources and Chapters visit the episode page: https://bioethicsbabe.com/abortion-pill-exposed-what-the-fda-and-planned-parenthood-dont-want-you-to-know-with-ob-gyn-dr-donna-harrison-ep-5/

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XOXO,

Bioethics Babe

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What happens when the medical establishment stops protecting children—and starts encouraging medicalizing sexual identity confusion instead?

In this episode of Bioethics Babe, Dr. Jill Simons, a board-certified pediatrician and Executive Director of the American College of Pediatricians, exposes how ideology has overtaken science and good medicine in the treatment of children with sexual identity disorder and how this puts vulnerable kids at risk.

Dr. Simons shares how her decades of experience in pediatrics led her to speak out against sex-rejecting interventions on children with sexual identity disorder—interventions which are not compassionate and leave life-long physical and mental consequences.

We discuss:

• The hidden dangers of so-called “social affirmation” and early transition and why it locks kids into confusion
• The real risks of puberty blockers, tucking and binding practices, and sex-rejecting surgeries and how they endanger children’s physical and mental health
• Why informed consent and ethical medicine are being compromised in the name of ideology
• The claim that denying sex-rejecting interventions causes suicide
• What the UK Cass Review revealed about the evidence for these interventions
• What parents, teachers, and policymakers can do to protect kids.
• Why children’s brains—and bodies—are not ready for life-altering interventions

Listen now as we dive into the evidence, the ethics, and the hope for restoring integrity and compassion in pediatric medicine.

This is not just a medical issue—it’s a moral one.

This is a conversation every parent, teen, doctor, and policymaker—needs to hear.

This episode is part of the Sexual Identity Disorder Series. Part 2 is Episode 7.

To see all the Episode Resources and Chapters visit the episode page: https://bioethicsbabe.com/sexual-identity-disorder-and-the-medical-scandal-harming-kids-a-pediatrician-explains-with-dr-jill-simons-ep-4/

For more information, the latest episodes, and additional resources, visit www.bioethicsbabe.com.

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XOXO,

Bioethics Babe

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In this deeply moving episode, Bishop James Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln shares his remarkable journey of faith, conversion, and healing. From his path to the Catholic Church and his vocation to the priesthood, to his honest reflections on struggling with depression and finding hope in Christ, Bishop Conley offers a profound Catholic perspective on mental health, reminding listeners that holiness and healing can be achieved even amidst mental struggles.

He opens up about what led him to write his pastoral letter A Future with Hope, how faith and therapy can work together, and why surrender and community are essential to the healing process. With his characteristic wisdom, humility, and warmth, Bishop Conley reminds us that even in darkness, God is still there. Ultimately, he offers a message of hope, encouraging those in darkness to reach out and seek support. Bishop Conley brings this same depth of faith and experience to his wider service in the Church, including his roles as Episcopal Advisor to both the Catholic Medical Association and the Catholic Health Care Leadership Alliance.

Topics We Discuss:

• Bishop Conley’s conversion and call to the priesthood
• How mental health challenges deepened his faith
• Integrating prayer, therapy, and rest in healing
• The power of surrender and trust in God
• How the Church can better support those who suffer

For more information, the latest episodes, and additional resources, visit www.bioethicsbabe.com.

To see all the Episode Resources and Chapters visit the episode page: https://bioethicsbabe.com/finding-god-in-the-darkness-faith-healing-and-the-catholic-view-of-mental-health-with-bishop-james-conley-ep-3/

Thank you for tuning in!

XOXO,

Bioethics Babe

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Why would an atheist be pro-life? In this interview of the Bioethics Babe podcast, Monica Snyder, Executive Director of Secular Pro-Life, shares the evidence-based and non-religious arguments against abortion. With a background in chemical biology and forensic science, Monica explains how science, logic, and compassion shape her pro-life views—without relying on faith. She also shares her best advice on how to dialogue with people who are pro-choice.

We discuss:

• The secular case for protecting human life from fertilization.

• Common misconceptions about fetal development.

• How to have respectful, effective dialogue with pro-choice friends, family, and colleagues.

• Why pro-life advocacy doesn’t have to be religious.

• Monica’s personal journey from science to activism.

If you’ve ever wondered whether the pro-life position requires religion, this conversation shows why it doesn’t.

For more information, the latest episodes, and additional resources, visit www.bioethicsbabe.com.

To see all the Episode Resources and Chapters visit the episode page: https://bioethicsbabe.com/why-this-atheist-is-pro-life-a-secular-case-against-abortion-with-monica-snyder-ep-2/

Thank you for tuning in!

XOXO,

Bioethics Babe

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What is bioethics—and why should it matter to you? In this first episode of the Bioethics Babe podcast, host Arina Grossu Agnew interviews Dr. Joseph Meaney, Past President and Senior Fellow of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, to explore the foundations of good medicine, the dignity of the human person, and why ethical decision-making should be at the heart of healthcare. From abortion to end-of-life care to assisted suicide, to fertility treatments and to AI in medicine—bioethics touches our lives every single day.

This episode will help you understand the core principles of bioethics, why they matter, and how they can guide better choices in medicine, policy, and everyday life. It will help you in making daily health decisions for yourself and your family.

For more information, the latest episodes, and additional resources, visit www.bioethicsbabe.com.

To see all the Episode Resources and Chapters visit the episode page: https://bioethicsbabe.com/bioethics-and-why-it-matters-for-everyone-with-dr-joseph-meaney-ep-1/

Thank you for tuning in!

XOXO,

Bioethics Babe

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Hello and welcome, I am your host Arina Grossu Agnew! On the Bioethics Babe podcast we will examine the tough questions and human flourishing in light of science, faith, and culture.

For more information, the latest episodes, and additional resources, visit www.bioethicsbabe.com. Thank you for tuning in!

XOXO,

Bioethics Babe

Follow BB on social media:

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