Paul A. Byrne, M.D. column
Dr. Paul A. Byrne is a Board Certified Neonatologist and Pediatrician. He is the Founder of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center in St. Louis, MO. He is Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at University of Toledo, College of Medicine. He is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Fellowship of Catholic Scholars.
Dr. Byrne is past-President of the Catholic Medical Association (USA), formerly Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at St. Louis University in St. Louis, MO and Creighton University in Omaha, NE. He was Professor of Pediatrics and Chairman of the Pediatric Department at Oral Roberts University School of Medicine and Chairman of the Ethics Committee of the City of Faith Medical and Research Center in Tulsa, OK. He is author and producer of the film "Continuum of Life" and author of the books "Life, Life Support and Death," "Beyond Brain Death," and "Is 'Brain Death' True Death?"
Dr. Byrne has presented testimony on "life issues" to nine state legislatures beginning in 1967. He opposed Dr. Kevorkian on the television program "Cross-Fire." He has been interviewed on Good Morning America, public television in Japan and participated in the British Broadcasting Corporation Documentary "Are the Donors Really Dead?" Dr. Byrne has authored articles against euthanasia, abortion, and "brain death" in medical journals, law literature and lay press.
Paul was married to Shirley for forty-eight years until she entered her eternal reward on Christmas 2005. They are the proud parents of twelve children and have thirty-six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Dr. Byrne is past-President of the Catholic Medical Association (USA), formerly Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at St. Louis University in St. Louis, MO and Creighton University in Omaha, NE. He was Professor of Pediatrics and Chairman of the Pediatric Department at Oral Roberts University School of Medicine and Chairman of the Ethics Committee of the City of Faith Medical and Research Center in Tulsa, OK. He is author and producer of the film "Continuum of Life" and author of the books "Life, Life Support and Death," "Beyond Brain Death," and "Is 'Brain Death' True Death?"
Dr. Byrne has presented testimony on "life issues" to nine state legislatures beginning in 1967. He opposed Dr. Kevorkian on the television program "Cross-Fire." He has been interviewed on Good Morning America, public television in Japan and participated in the British Broadcasting Corporation Documentary "Are the Donors Really Dead?" Dr. Byrne has authored articles against euthanasia, abortion, and "brain death" in medical journals, law literature and lay press.
Paul was married to Shirley for forty-eight years until she entered her eternal reward on Christmas 2005. They are the proud parents of twelve children and have thirty-six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Subscribe to Paul's columnPaul A. Byrne, M.D.
March 15, 2021
The Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA) has been adopted in all 50 states based on the recommendation of the Uniform Law Commission (ULC), although not . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
February 1, 2021
INTRODUCTION
We are continually bombarded with information about the COVID-19 pandemic and encouraged to receive the COVID-19 vaccines. Many are making the . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
November 16, 2020
On October 29, 2013, I wrote about an execution in a New York Hospital. Michael (not his name by baptism), suddenly collapsed. His family called 911. The . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
May 11, 2020
Ventilators are in the public eye with the COVID-19 pandemic. Basic information about breathing is needed to understand what the ventilator can and cannot do to . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
April 29, 2020
We are in the midst of a Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Early reports included multiple, now more than 40 deaths in a nursing home in the State of . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
July 30, 2018
Jahi McMath is a 13-year-old girl who had tonsil surgery on December 9, 2013. Postop she had bleeding and stopped
breathing. She was resuscitated and . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
September 21, 2017
Jahi McMath is alive in New Jersey. A death certificate was issued on Jahi on December 12, 2013. Now, four years later a judge in California has ruled that . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
August 14, 2017
Doctors and nurses protect and preserve life. Anything that does not protect and preserve life cannot rightly be called medical treatment and care. Much is . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
July 12, 2017
Charlie Gard is almost one year old. Charlie has mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome (MDDS). This condition is rare; however, Charlie's parents love him and . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
June 15, 2016
Mirranda Lawson is a two-year-old girl who choked on popcorn about one month ago (May 11). Within a few days, the doctors and hospital were presenting to . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
November 30, 2015
On November 16, 2015, the Nevada Supreme Court reversed the ruling of a District Judge that would have allowed doctors at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
August 12, 2015
Aden Hailu had pain in her abdomen on April 1, 2015. Exploratory laparoscopic surgery was done. Every organ in Aden's abdomen was normal. Her appendix was . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
July 27, 2015
Aden is a 20-year-old college student who had abdominal pain on April 1, 2015. Exploratory surgery was done; her normal appendix was removed after finding no . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
July 6, 2015
Aden is a 20-year-old college student who had abdominal pain on April 1, 2015. Exploratory surgery was done; her normal appendix was removed after finding no . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
May 21, 2015
Jahi McMath is a 14-year-old girl who was 13 when a death certificate was issued for her by the coroner in Oakland, California.
Recently, I visited Jahi and . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
September 27, 2014
(Article was originally published in the Linacre Quarterly – May 1997)
Prelude (from Wikipedia):
Karen Ann Quinlan (March 29, 1954 – June . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
March 18, 2014
[The following Response to "Jahi McMath and Determining Death," Ethics and Medics 39(3) March 2014, was submitted to National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC) . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
February 7, 2014
Nailah Winkfield's daughter, thirteen year-old Jahi McMath, suffered from pediatric sleep apnea. On December 9, 2013 Jahi was admitted into Children's . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
February 1, 2014
A video recording of an ice cube touched to the foot of Jahi McMath has been distributed. Someone, perhaps Jahi's mother, says, "I don't understand how a 'brain . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
January 18, 2014
Whatever may be our impressions or biases about the Jahi McMath "brain-death" matter, we ought to consider certain responsibilities that come with exploring or . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
January 14, 2014
Jahi is a living person and has been a living person on earth since her conception within her mother. Jahi's heart is beating 100,000 times a day, a rate . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
December 24, 2013
Wesley Smith wrote about Jahi McMath, a patient in Oakland Children's hospital: "In Jahi's case, brain dead actually means a declaration of "death by . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
October 29, 2013
Michael, 60 years old, had just finished eating. Michael and his family were watching television when Michael suddenly slumped and fell to the floor. His family . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
July 11, 2013
Very few people look forward to going to the doctor. Even fewer look forward to being a patient in a hospital. Some people have an irrational fear of hospitals . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
March 5, 2013
Introduction
Umbilical cord blood belongs to the baby not only before birth but also immediately after birth. The baby is NOT to be depleted of this blood . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
February 11, 2013
Fr. Peter Fehlner, F.I. and Dr. Paul Byrne have studied extensively the teachings of the Catholic Church. Basic biology, physiology and pathology indicate a . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
February 7, 2013
Catholic morality is expected to be good for not only Catholics but also many others. Pope Benedict XVI instructed morally on organ transplantation on November . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
February 2, 2013
Liberty to protect and preserve life is negated if the ability to defend (gun laws) and the ability to take care of our own health (Decisions by Committee) is . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
January 8, 2013
Life on earth continues until true death. Prior to the desire to get organs for transplantation, no one was declared dead with a beating heart, circulation, or . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
February 16, 2012
Introduction
Pastoral Care Workers are dedicated to caring for patients in hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities. Pastoral Care Workers include not . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
August 18, 2011
The August 29, 2000, Address of Blessed John Paul II is often quoted by those in support of obtaining vital organs for transplantation, but other statements by . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
January 21, 2011
Recent news reports of responses in persons declared "brain dead" should have alerted everyone that "brain death" is not true death. These observed responses . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
January 4, 2011
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D. Oregon) has a strong agenda to encourage early death for United States citizens. Oregon was the first state to legalized physician . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
January 26, 2010
The demarcation between harvesting transplantable organs from truly dead donors and from those "who are not dead but dying" is becoming more and more blurred as . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
April 14, 2009
The following letter to the editor by three bioethics experts was recently submitted to Critical Care Medicine.
We agree with Iltis et al. that the . . .
Paul A. Byrne, M.D.
December 10, 2008
The Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act 2006 has been passed in 35 states. Study of this Bill resulted in my presenting testimony in opposition at the Health, . . .
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