2018
fifthTEENTH Annual Pro-Life Science and Technology Conference
Saturday, November 10th, 2018
Cedarville University
Stevens Student Center
251 N. Main St., Cedarville, OH 45314
All biographies current at time of conference.
Opening
Dr. Derek Doroski
When does human life begin?: Fertilization is not a good enough answer
Dr. Doroski received his doctorate in biomedical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and currently teaches developmental anatomy and human embryology at Franciscan University. He is a regular speaker on IVF, stem cells and other bioethical topics. Dr. Doroski has presented his work exploring how to understand when organisms begin in light of the biological data, at the University of Buffalo’s Romanell Center for Bioethics and Philosophy of Medicine Conference. He has also published an analysis of how pro-life approaches have advanced reproductive healthcare in the Linacre Quarterly and has a manuscript on the dominance of adult stem cells in clinical trials that is currently under review. In addition to his bioethical work, Dr. Doroski does experimental research that is focused on stem cells and tissue engineering. This work has been published in scientific journals such as Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering, and PLOS One.
Nick Kallis
Abortion As the Modern Technological Tool of Eugenics
Nick was born and raised in Columbus, OH and is now attending Cedarville University. Nick is in his third year of the five-year Masters of Divinity program.
Nick hopes to serve the Church in a pastoral role, while mobilizing the Church to render Biblical justice on the issue of abortion. Nick has previously interned at Created Equal, an anti-abortion organization based in Columbus, Ohio.
Currently, Nick is serving as a board member of LifeTech and as the President of the Cedarville Students for Life group.
Hugh Owen
The Traditional Christian Doctrine of Creation: The Only Firm Foundation for a Culture of Life
Mr. Hugh Owen is the convert son of Sir David Owen, the first secretary-general of International Planned Parenthood Federation.
He and his wife Maria have nine living children (two of whom are religious sisters) and sixteen grandchildren (so far!) and live in Mt. Jackson, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley.
Hugh is the founder and director of the Kolbe Center for the Study of Creation which provides a forum for Catholic theologians, philosophers, and natural scientists all over the world who defend the traditional Catholic doctrine of creation and who expose the fatal flaws in alternative accounts of the origins of man and the universe.
Hugh is also a member of the recently-founded John Paul II Academy for Life and the Family.
Katrina Furth, Ph.D. earned her doctorate in neuroscience at Boston University, performing her dissertation research at the National Institutes of Health. Since graduating, she has worked as an adjunct professor at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. Her interests include animal models of mental illness, in vivo and in vitro electrophysiology, and the use of ketamine to treat depression, model schizophrenia, and reduce pain. Dr. Furth enjoys educating scientists and non-scientists alike about brain development and leads seminars and talks about the neuroscience of the unborn. She believes that as people come to understand more about embryonic and fetal development, they will be more likely to support life-affirming policies
Fr. Larry Gearhart
On The Morality of Abortion: Organizing a Mental Map
I'm a parochial vicar for the Springfield, Ohio, Deanery. My current duties include daily Mass, hearing confessions, responding to sick calls (anointings, hearing confessions and general pastoral care) and presiding at baptisms, weddings and funerals. I am a "circuit rider" in the sense that I may be called upon to substitute for a priest on vacation or some other form of leave.
I've been thinking about moral theology for decades. My first talk for the LifeTech conference (which had a different name back then) was on developing an axiomatic foundation for the morality of natural law.
I realized, recently, that it's important to map out the landscape of pro-life issues, to help us develop a clearer understanding of them and to see how revelation, natural law, jurisprudence and civic virtue apply and how these issues interrelate. I believe this will help us respond more thoughtfully when challenged by folks who regard the most fragile human life as less important than some other value.
Before joining Human Coalition in 2012, Sean Martin served as a church pastor for 12 years, leading churches in Sharon, Pennsylvania; Kansas City, Missouri; and most recently in Simsbury, Connecticut. Since 2014, Sean has been the Senior Director of Church Outreach, overseeing Human Coalition’s efforts to engage and equip the American Church to rise up and lead the charge to end the atrocity of abortion.
Having served on a number of ministerial committees, including the Ethics Committee of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Sean brings to Human Coalition a comprehensive philosophical and biblical understanding of the sanctity of life.
Sean holds a BA in Sociology and Religion from Westminster College (PA) and a Masters of Divinity from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
Sean and his wife Jill have been married more than 20 years, and they have 11 children. They’ve lived out their pro-life convictions through the adoption of 9 children many of whom have special needs.
Brian Garrison
Bill Nance
Patty Belliveau
The Power and Potential of Pro-Life Radio Ads
Brian Garrison works as a project manager at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. In his spare time he supports the Dayton Right to Life Society and Foundation. Mr. Garrison has a devoted wife, Joann, and three children, and has been a member of the Dayton Area community for over 30 years. He is always looking for new ways to influence people's thinking -- and utilizing his project management skills -- in favor of protecting and prolonging LIFE for all people.
Bill Nance is a 40 plus year veteran of radio and television broadcasting. He is the recipient of more than 50 state, regional and national awards for journalistic broadcast excellence. Bill has served in Christian radio since 1989 as a Program Director and morning show host. He was inducted into the Dayton Area Broadcasters Hall Of Fame in 2007. Bill is active in his local church and with charitable organizations. He resides in the greater Dayton area with wife Carol. Together they have two adult children and 7 grandchildren. Bill is also an avid collector of Coke memorabilia.
Patricia Belliveau, LSW, has worked with children and families since graduating from Kent State University in 1990. She is an Adoption Assessor, Licensed Social Worker and is certified as an Understanding Infant Adoption (UIA) Trainer. Adoption has always been a part of Patty’s family life; her siblings, cousin, and eldest daughter all joined her family through adoption. She considers it an honor to help birthparents and adoptive families team together to provide a wonderful life for their children. She has been with Adoption Link, Inc. since 2007. Prior to working with Adoption Link, Patty worked in community service programming; focusing on children, teen and women’s services.