The Point of Medicine

Bioethics

The following articles fall under this category of content within The Point of Medicine.

Truth Telling in Medicine

By Robert E. Cranston, MD, MA (Ethics) | April 7, 2026
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Merriam Webster defines lying as “saying or writing something that is not true in order to deceive someone.”  In this article, the “author outlines 12 common types of lies, including bold-faced lies, broken promises, lies of fabrication, lies of deception, exaggeration, plagiarism, denial, omission, minimization, withholding information, and selective memory. It notes that classifications of lies can vary depending on the source, and some lies may fall under multiple categories.”

AI in Medicine: A Primer

By Steven Willing, MD | March 23, 2026
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Clinicians have used computerized image analysis for decades, particularly in ultrasound and nuclear medicine. Earlier systems relied on explicit, rule‑based algorithms written by engineers. The transition to what is now properly called “artificial intelligence” occurred when models began learning their own features and decision logic directly from data—most notably with the adoption of deep learning in medical imaging over the last decade.

2026 US Childhood Immunization Schedule Reduction and the Christian Clinician: A Bioethical Analysis of Process and Content

By Richard K. Zimmerman, MD MPH MA (Bioethics) FAAFP FIDSA | March 3, 2026
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We have major concerns about the comparisons and processes used in reducing the federal number of recommended childhood immunizations and fear the disharmony with professional societies will lead to further confusion and distrust of public health.

Hepatitis B Vaccine and the Christian Clinician: A Bioethical Analysis of the Votes in December 2025 of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)

By Richard K. Zimmerman, MD MPH MA (Bioethics) FAAFP FIDSA | February 5, 2026
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God’s truth in Scripture and creation extends to scientific truths via common grace. The speech of God, which is always truthful, results in Scripture, creation and providence.

CMDA Should (Re)-Assert Support for Childhood Vaccination

By Jon Holmlund, MD, MA | March 27, 2025
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The current measles outbreak in Texas, the ascension of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to the post of Secretary of Health and Human Services and broad societal trends have prompted widespread debate over the wisdom and future of vaccinating children for preventable infectious diseases with meaningful, even major, morbidity and mortality.

CMDA Should (Re)-Assert Support for Childhood Vaccination

By Jon Holmlund, MD, MA | March 27, 2025
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The current measles outbreak in Texas, the ascension of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to the post of Secretary of Health and Human Services and broad societal trends have prompted widespread debate over the wisdom and future of vaccinating children for preventable infectious diseases with meaningful, even major, morbidity and mortality.

President Trump’s Executive Order on IVF

By André Van Mol, MD | March 3, 2025
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On February 18, President Trump signed an executive order titled, “EXPANDING ACCESS TO IN VITRO FERTILIZATION.” Noting “the importance of family formation,” the prevalence of infertility (“as many as one in seven”), and the high cost of IVF ($12,000 to $25,000 per cycle), the administration committed itself to a policy which would “ensure reliable access to IVF treatment” by “Lowering Costs and Reducing Barriers to IVF.”

“Nature” Does a Face Plant: Promoting the Transgender Suicide Myth

By Steven Willing, MD | January 16, 2025
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What if an original research paper published in a respected international scientific journal declared that keeping men out of women’s sports or banning the gender transitioning of minors caused an increase in suicide attempts among transgender youth? Wouldn’t you expect them to show actual evidence of an increase? Well, you ought. But they didn’t.

Social Transitioning is Neither Neutral nor Benign

By André Van Mol, MD | January 9, 2025
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Here at CMDA, we’re often asked about why we, as an organization broadly and as our advocacy team specifically, seem to be more concerned about policy and ethics and less so about domestic missions—for our neighbors in need here in the U.S. These inquires and suggestions are often made out of concern that our engagement in legislation and the ethics around certain life issues comes at the expense or dismissal of the vulnerable.

“Gender-affirming Healthcare” for Adults: Is It Helpful?

By André Van Mol, MD | October 28, 2024
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With transgender interventions on minors, aka “gender-affirming healthcare” (formerly transgender-affirming therapy), falling and failing under scrutiny in about half the U.S. states and numerous nations, it was predictable that proponents of gender transition ideology would double down on claiming it is proven to help adults with gender dysphoria/transgender identification.