In vitro fertilization, or IVF, is a debate dividing conservatives. One side views IVF as a family-supporting technology that helps couples struggling with fertility, while the other side argues that IVF raises moral concerns about the sanctity of human life. What should we make of the debate?

Vanessa Brown Calder joins Veronique de Rugy to discuss in this episode of Qualified Opinions.

Vanessa Brown Calder is director of opportunity and family policy studies at the Cato Institute, where she focuses on policies that support family and increase opportunity.

What are the preconditions for a functional liberal democracy? How have our institutions lost their way? How can our divisive culture be put on the right track again?

Yuval Levin joins the show to discuss.

Yuval Levin is the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he also holds the Beth and Ravenel Curry Chair in Public Policy. The founder and editor of National Affairs, he is also a senior editor at The New Atlantis, a contributing editor at National Review, and a contributing opinion writer at New York Times.

Randy Barnett joins host Veronique de Rugy today to discuss the future of originalism, individual liberty, and his latest book, A Life for Liberty: The Making of an American Originalist.

Randy E. Barnett is the Patrick Hotung Professor of Constitutional Law at the Georgetown University Law Center and is the Faculty Director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution.

The attempt on Donald Trump's life has shocked the country—so much so that the Director of the Secret Service has resigned. The shock and fear are understandable, given this is the first major assassination attempt since Ronald Reagan. But how does the modern period compare to the rest of American history? What can we learn from assassination attempts in the past, and how do they differ from now?

Tevi Troy joins Veronique de Rugy to discuss.

Tevi Troy is a Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a former Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services and a best-selling presidential historian.

Show Notes:

Article: Another Chapter in a Grim History

Book : Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump

With protectionist policy on the rise both to the left and the right of American politics, we are left with a burning question: What happened to the free trade consensus?

This week, Veronique de Rugy sits down with Scott Lincicome to discuss the modern state of trade policy and global economics.

Scott Lincicome is the Cato Institute's Vice President of General Economics and the Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies.

Joining Qualified Opinions today is Nancy French, who discusses the changing political landscape, her career path, and being the writer behind the name.

Nancy French is a best-selling ghostwriter and author of her memoir, Ghosted: An American Story.

To expand or not to expand the child tax credit is a key issue that consumes a lot of ink on the right and on the left. What is the best path forward?

Kevin Corinth sits down with host Veronique de Rugy to discuss.

Kevin Corinth is a senior fellow and the deputy director of the Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he researches economic mobility, poverty, safety net programs, homelessness, social capital, and other issues.

Is inflation really the product of greed? Do greater economic means equal less incentive for competition? What is the right approach to antitrust policy?

Veronique de Rugy sits down with Brian Albrecht to discuss.

Brian Albrecht is Chief Economist of the International Center for Law & Economics (ICLE), which he joined in February 2022. In his role, he is responsible for the application and integration of theoretical and empirical economic methodologies into ICLE's research.

America's economic dynamism attracts immigrants from all over the world and has served as a beacon of hope for decades—however, today, Americans are more pessimistic about the future than ever. What can be done about it?

Host Veronique de Rugy sits down with Jeremy Horpedahl to discuss. Dr. Horpedahl is the Director of ACRE and an associate professor of economics at the University of Central Arkansas. His research has been published in Econ Journal Watch, Constitutional Political Economy, the Atlantic Economic Journal, Public Choice, and Public Finance and Management.

The New Right and the Old Right are increasingly the major factions of conservatism today. Where do they diverge? And are there seldom spoken areas of convergence?

Joining Veronique de Rugy is Charles Kesler, who will explore the landscape of American conservatism today.

Charles Kesler is a Senior Fellow of the Claremont Institute, Editor of the Claremont Review of Books, host of Claremont's The American Mind video series, and the Dengler-Dykema Distinguished Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College.