St. John Paul II Foundation
Converging Roads Conference – Houston
Along with Christopher Kaczor, PhD, Cynthia Hunt, MD, George D. Santos, MD, Joseph Meaney, PhD, Charleta Guillory, MD, MPH, FAAP, and Paul J. Carson, MD, FACP, Stacy Trasancos presented two talks at the Converging Roads conference in Houston on March 28, 2020. The topics were “Medical Marijuana and CBD Oil: In Conflict with Hippocratic Medicine?” and “Vaccine Ethics: A View through Catholic Social Teaching.”
The debate over the legalization of marijuana has led to the availability of CBD products for sale in Texas. In June 2019 Gov. Abbott signed House Bill 1325. This bill legalized the cultivation of industrial hemp and possession and sale of hemp-derived CBD products without a doctor’s approval. It also redefined marijuana from cannabis in general to industrial hemp (cannabis containing greater than 0.3% THC). For decades research has been done to determine the benefit of cannabinoids. They have been used to treat certain rare forms of epilepsy, nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy, loss of appetite and weight loss associated with HIV/AIDS, and benefits for chronic pain and multiple sclerosis symptoms. Although some data are promising, much research is still needed to know if medical marijuana has therapeutic benefits for patients.
Stacy also gave a talk on vaccines grown in cell lines derived from aborted children. Parents who either must accept these vaccines or not vaccinate are, according to the Pontifical Academy for Life, “forced to choose to act against their conscience or otherwise, to put the health of their children and of the population as a whole at risk.” This injustice must be eliminated as soon as possible. But how? Dr. Trasancos explained the moral guidance from the Vatican regarding “licit cooperation in evil,” and called for better ways to influence vaccine manufacturers.
