All Matters of Life and Death articles
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ShowsAssisted suicide: Euthanasia tourism takes off in the US amid fresh push to change law in Britain
Today we pick up a number of stories and updates in the conversation around assisted suicide. Long since legal in a growing number of states in the US, a new report has detailed how things are liberalising further. Some states now permit non-residents to cross state lines solely to die, creating a new market in euthanasia tourism for those living in less liberal parts of America.
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ShowsShould robots be given human rights?
A classic episode from the MOLAD vault today: If and when autonomous and intelligent robots come into existence, should they be granted rights, or even personhood? A growing number of technologists argue governments must lay out what status conscious and rational machines would have before they actually have been invented.
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ShowsLucy Letby reconsidered: Innocence and guilt, partial evidence, and living with unknowns
We covered the case of Lucy Letby – a neonatal nurse convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill seven more – last year. Since then, there has been a growing campaign claiming she is the victim of a miscarriage of justice, as Letby herself appeals the judgement.
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ShowsWhat does it mean to be made in the image of God?
‘Let us make mankind in our image.’ But what does Imago Dei truly mean for us today? From abilities to relationships, how do we define being made in God’s image in a way that includes everyone? In an era challenging human uniqueness, understanding Imago Dei is key to upholding the value of all life. Let’s revisit this foundational concept and its importance in our modern world.
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ShowsThe infected blood scandal
A UK inquiry revealed NHS’s use of contaminated blood, causing infections like HIV. Particularly tragic were non-consensual experiments at a haemophilia school, resulting in deaths. This discussion probes the ethics of medical trials, healthcare improvements, and the role of Christian humility in medicine.
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ShowsAutonomous killer drones and the future of warfare
This week’s focus is on two ethical issues: the rise of autonomous AI drones in Ukraine’s war, questioning the morality of machines in combat, and the ethical dilemma of surging frozen embryos from IVF in the UK, exploring solutions like embryo adoption. Both topics highlight the complex ethical implications of modern technology and medicine.
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ShowsShould Christians break the law? Civil disobedience, climate protest and heavy-handed policing
A landmark court case in the UK recently saw five radical climate activists jailed for up to five years for their role in organising the blocking of a major motorway to protest against fossil fuels.
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ShowsThe unintended consequences of sperm donation
A recent Netflix documentary, The Man With A 1000 Kids, has shone a light on the often under-discussed topic of sperm donation. It exposes a Dutch man as a prolific and deceptive sperm donor who compulsively fathers children around the world via donated sperm.
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ShowsNeo-Luddism and the ‘myth’ of progress: Should Christians be pro or anti technology?
In recent weeks we have discussed how to keep modern technology at arms-length (smartphones in the home) and our excitement at how humans may be about to untap God’s blessing in creation through technology (the solar energy revolution). Today we ask the question: can we really hold these positions simultaneously?
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ShowsEnergy abundance: Is the coming solar power revolution a blessing from God?
Even sober-minded experts are getting excited about solar power. Respectable estimates suggest the price of energy derived from sunlight will continue to drop spectacularly as the number of panels installed worldwide continues to explode exponentially.
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ShowsMatters of Life & Death: Julian Assange, whistleblowers, and the Christian case for journalism
The controversial hacker and activist (and maybe journalist?) Julian Assange was suddenly freed for five years in a British jail last month, after he reached a surprise deal with the US authorities over classified military files he published online more than ten years ago.
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ShowsMatter of Life & Death: Physics and the gospel: Richard Cheetham on how churches can embrace science once more
Despite reams of research debunking the myth and countless examples of pioneering Christian researchers, many people still believe intuitively that somehow science and religion are in constant conflict.
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ShowsMatters of Life & Death: Dependence - Should Christians embrace ‘being a burden’ on others as we get old?
Tim’s been away this last week on holiday so we’re bringing you an episode from the Matters of Life and Death vault today. There is a looming ‘demographic timebomb’ – a growing mass of elderly and increasingly chronically ill people in many developed nations, expected to place huge strain on public resources.
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ShowsMatters of Life & Death: Are smartphones damaging our children? with Andy Crouch
This week we interview the writer Andy Crouch on a question which has been everywhere in recent months: are smartphones damaging our children?
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ShowsMatters of Life & Death: How much is too much to genetically screen your children?
In the first half of this episode we explore new research into public opinion around polygenic embryo screening. This technology allows people undergoing IVF to see what genes each potential embryo has and then choose to reimplant the one with the ‘best’ genetic make-up.
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ShowsMatters of Life & Death: Elections, the church and threats to democracy
In this episode we reflect on why Christians are so politically engaged in Britain, with research suggesting they are much more likely to vote, join a party, and campaign than the general public.
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ShowsMatters of Life & Death: Autism - Disability or superpower?
Diagnosis rates for autism have been steadily rising for decades now, and as the condition has become more prevalent there has been a growing debate within the community and wider society about what autism is.
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ShowsMatters of Life & Death: Two is the loneliest number: Can AI friends stop us feeling alone?
Science fiction has long been fascinated by the idea of humans becoming friends with computers. And the dream of an always-on digital companion you can talk to day or night is closer than ever before, thanks to advances in AI software in recent years.
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ShowsMatters of Life & Death: Assisted dying in Scotland: A bad law but also an inevitable one?
A new law has been proposed in the Scottish Parliament which would allow terminally ill people to request doctors assist them in committing suicide. Is euthanasia the next great social leap forward in the inexorable onward march of progress?
