FDA makes it official: Informed consent not required for ‘minimal risk’ studies

A ruling issued last week by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration – to implement a provision of the 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law in December 2016 – makes it legal for clinical researchers to conduct research on human subjects without obtaining informed consent when the research poses ‘no more than minimal risk.’

Parental rights win with new Alberta policy

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. / Credit: Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock Prince Albert, Canada, Feb 7, 2024 / 12:00 pm (CNA). Alberta’s proposed parental rights policy is another step in parents regaining control of their children’s education — in particular concerning a perceived overreach with gender ideology — from school bureaucrats, its supporters say. The new policy, introduced […]

Pope Francis: To be ‘scandalized’ by gay couple blessings is ‘hypocrisy’

Pope Francis greets pilgrims at his general audience on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, at the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media Rome Newsroom, Feb 7, 2024 / 13:00 pm (CNA). Pope Francis this week again defended the Vatican’s controversial document authorizing blessings for same-sex couples, with the Holy Father arguing […]

Raising Catholic kids: New study suggests what successful parents have in common

At or near the top of almost any Catholic parent’s list of things they want for their children is for them to continue practicing their Catholic faith into adulthood. But recent statistics paint a sobering picture: In the United States today, only about 15% of children raised in Catholic households grow up to be faithful […]