Brave New Us: Choosing Human in the Age of Biotechnology

Samantha Stephenson talks with Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse , economist, writer, and founder of the Ruth Institute , about the hidden costs of the Sexual Revolution. They explore her sharp critique of its three dominant ideologies: The contraceptive ideology The divorce ideology The gender ideology Discover how these ideas shape—and sometimes distort—our understanding of marriage , family , and the h...

Samantha interviews Dr. Christopher Kaczor, a professor of philosophy and the author of The Ethics of Abortion: Women’s Rights, Human Life, and the Question of Justice. They discuss some of the most challenging and controversial questions in the abortion debate, such as: Can artificial wombs end the abortion debate? Is your body really your choice when it comes to pregnancy and abortion? How do we...

They say never discuss religion or politics—no wonder abortion is one of the most divisive issues today. Pope Francis calls it the preeminent moral crisis of our age, yet honest, civil conversation feels nearly impossible. In this episode, Samantha Stephenson sits down with Bella O’Neill , former JFA intern and passionate pro-life advocate, to explore how to engage college campuses with courage, c...

The prolife movement is often accused of not doing enough to help pregnant mother in crisis, and the internet is littered with articles denouncing pregnancy centers as illegitimate medical practices seeking to take choices away from women. It’s time to set the record straight. Samantha chats with Tiffany Farley, executive director of the Gabriel Network, about how to help pregnant women in crisis...

When Nicole LeBlanc learned she was pregnant with conjoined twins , doctors urged her to end the pregnancy. But she chose a different path. In this episode, Samantha Stephenson speaks with Nicole about her decision to choose life in the face of overwhelming pressure from medical professionals. They discuss the challenges of a high-risk diagnosis, the dignity of every human life, and what it means...

In today’s world, adult choices often take center stage—even when they come at the expense of children. In this episode, Samantha Stephenson talks with Katy Faust , president of Them Before Us and author of Them Before Us: Why We Need a Global Children’s Rights Movement . Together, they unpack how modern family structures—through third-party reproduction , divorce culture , and surrogacy —are incr...

What happens when the path to motherhood doesn’t look like you expected? In this episode, Samantha Stephenson speaks with Catholic author Emily Stimpson Chapman about her deeply personal journey through infertility , her reflections on the Church’s teaching on embryo adoption , and the joys and challenges of building a family through adoption . Together, they explore what it means to trust God in...

What’s the real cost of surrogacy—and who pays it? In this episode, Samantha Stephenson talks with Fiorella Nash , author and bioethicist, about the hidden harms of the global surrogacy industry . From serious health risks for surrogate mothers to the violation of women’s and children’s rights , Nash exposes how surrogacy often crosses the line into human trafficking and exploitation . God’s child...

Reproductive technologies promise control—but what if the system is failing the very women it's meant to help? In this episode, Dr. Susan Caldwell shares why she left the world of IVF and egg donation behind. We unpack what the industry won’t tell you, and why more women are questioning the ethics, outcomes, and long-term costs of high-tech baby-making. Mentioned in this episode: https://www.drsus...

IVF is often seen as the gold standard for infertility treatment—but what if there’s a more ethical, more effective, and less costly alternative? In this episode, Samantha Stephenson speaks with Dr. Monique Ruberu , a pro-life OB-GYN, about the hidden downsides of in vitro fertilization and the promise of NaPro Technology —a restorative, science-based approach that addresses the root causes of wom...

Can Catholics use vaccines developed with cell lines from aborted babies? What if there’s no alternative? And what about the growing list of medical treatments derived from fetal tissue ? In this episode, Samantha Stephenson sits down with Dr. Stacy Trasancos of Children of God for Life to unpack Catholic bioethics surrounding the use of the unborn in medical research. From vaccines to experimenta...

You see the pink line—you're pregnant. But in today’s world of prenatal genetic testing , celebration often turns to fear. In this episode, Samantha Stephenson speaks with Bridget Mora of the nonprofit Be Not Afraid to expose the dark side of noninvasive prenatal screening (NIPS) . From false positives to misdiagnoses, we explore how unreliable tests are pushing families toward eugenic abortions —...

In the midst of a culture that is increasingly confused about sexuality, love, life, and our very identity as persons, the Church offers us the truth of who we are. Will we unmask the fundamental lies fueling our culture's attacks on marriage, motherhood, and the family, or stand watch as these pillars of society unravel for future generations? In this episode, hear an advanced preview of Reclaimi...

Contraceptives are all about being “safe,” right? If that’s true, why is this “essential tool” for women’s health causing everything from depression and anxiety to blood clots and strokes? Samantha talks with journalist and editor of Natural Womanhood, Grace Emily Stark, to get the real stats on how hormonal contraceptives are effecting women’s health, alternative methods of family planning, and w...

The Sexual Revolution promised liberation through contraception and abortion , claiming to empower women by severing them from their fertility. But decades later, what has it really delivered? In this episode, host Samantha Stephenson speaks with Leah Jacobson , author and founder of The Guiding Star Project, to unpack the hidden costs of modern feminism. Together, they examine how the cultural sc...

New season coming June 13! … For exclusive updates or to support the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at bravenewus.substack.com Now available: Reclaiming Motherhood from a Culture Gone Mad—a mother’s theology of the body

Podcast host Samantha Stephenson shares her son's birth story, how and why hospital staff refused her husband access and separated mother and baby at birth despite lacking any evidence of illness. … “All Will Be Well” original track by Jessica Gerhardt ( JessicaGerdardt.com ). For exclusive updates or to support the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at bravenewus.substack.com . Now available : R...

Over the course of this season, we’ve explored the science of changing our genetics, asking which characteristics we ought to change, and why. Who gets to decide? Left to our own devices, do we really understand what’s important about ourselves? If we use genetic editing to “improve” ourselves or our children, will it have the impact we think it will? Guests appearing in the episode: Shannon Evans...

A life filled with suffering isn’t worth living. That’s what we’re told, right? That ending a life is a compassionate choice. As the Netherlands expand their program of euthanasia for children, we need to explore these assumptions that it’s okay to let suffering have the last word. In this episode, author and speaker Mary Lenaburg shares her experience caring for her severely disable daughter Cour...

Every life has value, right? What about those who don’t appear able to value their own lives? What about infants whose brief existence is filled with suffering? Can we say that God has a purpose even for them? Guests appearing in the episode: Dr. Erica Salter Erica K. Salter, PhD is an Associate Professor of Health Care Ethics and Pediatrics and the director of the PhD program in Health Care Ethic...

When we imagine that some people endure “special” kinds of suffering, we alienate one another. We leave people isolated when what we actually need is each other. I wanted to explore something Mary shared in the last episode, about this lie that the lives of the disabled are “impossibly hard.” What is it like for families coping with disabilities? What are the solutions we offer them now? Is erasin...

Is it possible to talk about healing a genetic disability without in some way discounting the value of the people who live with these disorders? What will the world be like for people with disabilities as these populations continue to shrink? Is eliminating disability even a worthwhile goal? Guests appearing in the episode: Mary Forr Szoch Mary Forr Szoch is a graduate of the University of Notre D...

This season on Brave New Us , we’re exploring the field of genetics, its human applications, and the ethical question that arise when we think about using this knowledge to alter the building blocks of who we are. In this episode, we explore the idea of using this technology to heal an existing condition. What would that mean for the patients involved? Is there something about our genetics that is...

This season on Brave New Us , we’re exploring the field of genetics, its human applications, and the ethical question that arise when we think about using this knowledge to alter the building blocks of who we are. In this episode, we explore the research on genetic editing. Where are we now? Does what we might able to do with genetic editing justify what we need to do to get there? If not, where d...

This season on Brave New Us, we’re exploring the field of genetics, its human applications, and the ethical question that arise when we think about using this knowledge to alter the building blocks of who we are. First up, we take a look at human enhancement. What are some of the ways this technology might be able to improve our capabilities or help us ensure that our children have particular char...