
Event: Contemporary Issues in Bioethics: A Panel Discussion with Joseph Meaney, Matt Vallière, and Timothy Flanigan
March 10 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Come join us for a discussion of some of the most contentious and pressing bioethical issues today. Advanced directives, brain death, assisted suicide, in-vitro fertilization, biomedical research—Thomas More College has assembled renowned national experts from the bioethical and medical community to help us navigate some of the most vexing bioethical issues of our age.
Dr. Joseph Meaney is the Past President and Senior Fellow of the National Catholic Bioethics Center. Matt Vallière is the Executive Director of the Patients Rights Action Fund (PRAF), a national, secular, non-partisan leader defending the rights of patients, people with disabilities, the elderly, and the poor from the threat of legalized assisted suicide. Dr. Timothy Flanigan is a professor of medicine and health services, policy and practice at Brown University and the founder of the Inklings Project.
7:30 – 8:15 PM: Presentations
8:15 – 9:00 PM: Q & A
Joseph Meaney: “Brain Death, Advanced Directives and Other Bioethical Questions”
Joseph Meaney is a Senior Fellow and Past President of the National Catholic Bioethics Center. He received his PhD in bioethics from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome, where his dissertation topic was Conscience and Health Care: A Bioethical Analysis. Dr. Meaney was director of international outreach and expansion for Human Life International (HLI) and is a leading expert on the international pro-life and family movement. His popular articles have appeared in the National Catholic Register, Crux, Inside Catholic, Crisis Magazine, Inside the Vatican, and many other publications.
Matt Vallière: “Assisted Suicide—A Maleficent in Autonomy’s Clothing”
Matt Vallière is the Executive Director of the Patients Rights Action Fund (PRAF), a national, secular, non-partisan leader defending the rights of patients, people with disabilities, our elders, and the poor from the threat of legalized assisted suicide. He proudly serves as a volunteer emergency medical services first responder. As an experienced caregiver to people with life-threatening disabilities, Mr. Vallière is a tireless advocate for the rights of patients and people with disabilities, both in the medical setting and the public square.
Timothy Flanigan: “Chronic Illness and Patient Autonomy”
Dr. Timothy Flanigan is Professor of Medicine in Infectious Diseases at the Miriam and Rhode Island Hospitals and Brown Medical School. He has spearheaded both clinical care and clinical research programs for improved HIV treatment among marginalized communities. He is recognized for his community-based work with HIV-infected men and women in prisons and jails, and for providing educational support for children of incarcerated parents. Dr. Flanigan is the founder of The Inklings Project and a permanent deacon in the Catholic Diocese of Providence.
Moderator: Dr. William Fahey, President of Thomas More College of Liberal Arts