Arina Grossu Agnew

Fellow, Center on Human Exceptionalism

Arina Grossu Agnew, M.A., M.S., is a Fellow with Discovery Institute’s Center on Human Exceptionalism. She focuses on the protection of human dignity, human rights, and the sanctity of human life from fertilization to natural death. Her areas of expertise include abortion, women’s health, bioethics, conscience, pornography, sex trafficking, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. She is the founder and principal at Areté Global Consulting where she works on policy, bioethics, communications, and strategic partnerships. She is a guest contributor at Charlotte Lozier Institute, contributor to Liberty University’s Standing for Freedom Center, and an author at the National Catholic Register. She is part of a bioethics working group at the Heritage Foundation. Ms. Grossu is a member of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities and a member of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars.

Ms. Grossu is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a B.A. in Philosophy. She earned her M.S. in Bioethics from the University of Mary and an M.A. in Theology, magna cum laude, from the Dominican House of Studies. She is also certified in Health Care Ethics through the National Catholic Bioethics Center. She is an alumna of the Vita Institute at the University of Notre Dame, an intensive intellectual formation program for leaders in the national and international pro-life movement.

During the Trump Administration, Ms. Grossu worked as a Senior Communications Advisor at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Office for Civil Rights, protecting conscience, religious freedom rights, and civil rights in healthcare. She is the former Director of the Center for Human Dignity at the Family Research Council where she was a spokeswoman and policymaker on life and human dignity issues.

Ms. Grossu has done television interviews on CNN, ABC, BBC, Fox News, EWTN, and CBN. Her articles and commentary have appeared in USA Today, LA Times, National Review, Bloomberg, Townhall, The Federalist, Washington Times, Daily Signal, Washington Examiner, National Catholic Register, Daily Caller, Christian Post, and others.

Ms. Grossu has presented lectures at the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women; Trinity International University’s Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity; University of Notre Dame; Regent University Law School’s Center for Global Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law; and Indiana Wesleyan University’s Bastian Center for the Study of Human Trafficking. She has testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice on the Born Alive Infants Protection Act.

Ms. Grossu is a Dame of Malta, a member of the Board of Directors of the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, and a National Board Member of the Salesian Sisters Partners Circle. She is also a Claremont Speechwriters’ Fellow and a Leonine Fellow.

Archives

The Theological Case for Embryo Adoption with Dr. Elizabeth Rex

What if saving a human life could itself raise serious moral questions? Millions of human embryos are estimated to be frozen in the United States, many abandoned by the parents who created them through IVF. For some, the solution seems obvious: Why not adopt these embryos, give them a chance to be born, and welcome them into loving families? Does Catholic teaching support embryo adoption, or prohibit it? And if frozen embryos are human beings who deserve to be gestated, is leaving them frozen indefinitely morally comparable to abortion? These questions are deeply contested within Catholic bioethics. In Part 3 of our series examining the arguments for and against embryo adoption, we turn to the case in favor of prenatal adoption and one Catholic bioethicist’s …

Could Your Miscarriage Have Been Prevented? Addressing the Root Causes of Pregnancy Loss with Dr. Marguerite Duane

Could your miscarriage have been prevented? What if the cause of your pregnancy loss was something your doctor never investigated? Miscarriage affects approximately 1 in 5 recognized pregnancies. Yet too often, women are told their loss was simply bad luck, a chromosomal abnormality, or a consequence of age. They’re told to try again, sometimes without a thorough investigation into what went wrong. But what if some miscarriages aren’t inevitable? What if treatable medical conditions are being overlooked? And why are women who can conceive naturally but repeatedly miscarry referred for IVF without addressing the underlying causes? In this deeply personal episode of Bioethics Babe, host Arina Grossu Agnew shares her experience of two early miscarriages and sits down with …

Is Embryo Adoption Actually Surrogacy? The Catholic Case Against It with Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

What if saving a human life could itself be morally wrong? More than 1.5 million human embryos are estimated to be frozen in the United States, many abandoned by the parents who created them through in vitro fertilization (IVF). For some, the solution seems obvious: Why not adopt these embryos, give them a chance to be born, and welcome them into loving families? But is embryo adoption an act of mercy, or another form of surrogacy? In Part 2 of Bioethics Babe’s Frozen Embryo Series, Fr. Tad Pacholczyk makes the Catholic moral and theological case against embryo adoption, responding directly to the philosophical and theological arguments in its defense. Fr. Tad served for more than 22 years as an ethicist, Director of Education, and Senior Ethicist at the National …

The Philosophical Case for Embryo Adoption with Dr. Melissa Moschella

Can you oppose IVF and still support embryo adoption? If IVF violates the dignity of the child by separating procreation from the marital act, what happens once that child already exists, frozen and unable to continue developing? Would embryo adoption repeat the original wrong of IVF, or could it be an act of rescue? In Part 1 of a special Bioethics Babe series examining the arguments for and against embryo adoption, I sit down with philosopher and natural-law scholar Dr. Melissa Moschella, author of To Whom Do Children Belong?, to explore the philosophical case for embryo adoption. At the heart of her argument is a crucial distinction: procreation ends at fertilization. Once a new human being exists, Melissa argues, gestation does not create that child. It provides …

Born at 21 Weeks: How Early Can a Baby Survive? with Neonatologist Dr. Robin Pierucci

How early can a baby be born and survive? And what happens when whether that baby receives lifesaving care depends on which hospital the mother walks into? The edge of viability is moving. Babies born at 22 weeks are surviving and thriving, and there are now documented survivors born at just 21 weeks. But outcomes can vary dramatically depending on where a baby is born, whether active treatment is attempted, and the experience of the medical team. In this episode of Bioethics Babe, I sit down with neonatologist Dr. Robin Pierucci, who spent nearly 25 years caring for critically ill and extremely premature babies, including 17 years as medical director of a Level III NICU. We discuss: How babies born at just 21 and 22 weeks can survive Why the edge of viability keeps …

Are You Your Body? St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body with Dr. John Grabowski

Are we our bodies? Or are our bodies simply something we have, something we can control, alter, suppress, or even redesign to conform to who we believe ourselves to be? Nearly half a century ago, St. John Paul II began delivering the 129 lectures that would become known as the Theology of the Body. But far from being simply a Catholic teaching about sex and marriage, Theology of the Body offers a sweeping vision of what it means to be human, and it may be more relevant now than ever. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. John Grabowski, Professor of Moral Theology and Ethics at The Catholic University of America, to explore St. John Paul II’s understanding of the human person, the meaning of the body, sexual difference, love, marriage, and self-gift. What does it mean to …

Our Culture Worships Autonomy. What If We’re Wrong? with Leah Libresco Sargeant

Our culture prizes autonomy, independence, and self-sufficiency. But what happens when we inevitably need someone else? From the preborn child who is completely dependent on his or her mother, to the person living with profound disability, to the elderly patient who can no longer care for himself, some of the most vulnerable human beings are also the most dependent. So if we equate dignity with autonomy, what happens to human dignity when autonomy disappears? In this episode of Bioethics Babe, Arina Grossu Agnew sits down with Leah Libresco Sargeant, author of The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto, to challenge one of the most powerful assumptions in modern culture: that human flourishing means needing other people as little as possible. We …

They Wanted Him Aborted for a Heart Defect. The Surrogate Fought to Save Him: The Case of McKenna West

A surrogate was hired.  Then, at 20 weeks, he was diagnosed with a serious heart defect, and everything changed. McKenna West, a 28-year-old cardiac nurse and mother of two, says the intended parents asked her to abort their biological son after he was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). Their surrogacy agreement reportedly required termination for a fetal abnormality if the intended parents requested it. McKenna scheduled the abortion. Then she refused to go through with it. Instead, she began researching how to save the baby’s life, eventually relocating to Texas, where he was born and underwent major heart surgery. Now comes the extraordinary twist: the same parents who requested his abortion are pursuing treatment to save his life and …

Her Water Broke at 19 Weeks. Doctors Said She Could Die and Pressured Her to Abort. She Refused. with Julia Wilson-Franks

What happens when a mother facing a devastating pregnancy complication is told that continuing her pregnancy could cost her uterus or even her life? When Julia Wilson-Franks’ water broke just after 19 weeks, her daughter Lucia was still alive. But Julia says that over the next 10 days, numerous OB/GYNs repeatedly pressured her to induce labor or end her pregnancy. One doctor asked her, “Are you willing to leave your son without a mother?” Sitting beside Julia when she heard those words was her 10-year-old son, Quinn, whom she had also been advised to abort years earlier. Julia refused. Ten days after her water broke, Lucia was born naturally at 20 weeks and 6 days. She lived for six minutes in her mother’s arms. Julia understood that Lucia might not survive, but …

Can a 13-Year-Old Order Abortion Pills Online? An OB/GYN Went Undercover with Dr. Christina Francis

Can a 13-year-old order abortion pills online without anyone verifying her age, confirming her pregnancy, or speaking with her face-to-face? Dr. Christina Francis, a board-certified OB/GYN and CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), decided to find out. She went undercover, posing as a 13-year-old with multiple serious medical risk factors, including severe anemia, an IUD, a history of ectopic pregnancy, multiple prior C-sections, and blood thinner use. According to Francis, despite the red flags, she was able to obtain abortion pills through the mail without an ID check or an in-person medical evaluation. What arrived four days later raised even more questions about medical oversight, informed consent, follow-up care, and what …

Is Caring for the Environment Actually a Pro-Life Issue? with Clare Ath

Has environmentalism become so politicized that Catholics have forgotten what the Church actually teaches? And here’s the bigger question: Is caring for the environment actually a pro-life issue? In this episode of Bioethics Babe, I sit down with Clare Ath, co-founder and president of Vita et Terra, to unpack a side of Catholic teaching that is often misunderstood, dismissed, or surrendered to politics. We explore why Catholics are called to care for creation, what Scripture really means when it gives humanity “dominion” over the earth, and why that does not mean domination. We also examine Laudato Si’, integral ecology, human ecology, and the contributions of St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI to the Church’s environmental teaching. But this conversation …

Why Is the Archdiocese of Washington Less Protective of Religious Liberty Than Maryland?

For some, questions of religious liberty seem abstract. For us and our families, they are deeply personal. I (Arina Grossu Agnew) taught at an Archdiocese of Washington school for a year, the very school where my young son was later accepted for admission. As Catholics committed to raising him in the faith, my husband and I assumed he would attend. Instead, we ultimately declined his acceptance because the Archdiocese does not recognize religious objections to its vaccination policy, even though the state of Maryland does. We enrolled him in a secular private school that respects Maryland’s religious exemption and our sincerely-held convictions. My experience is not unique. My co-author, Jay Richards, has faced similar choices with his family. Catholic schools exist to …

Four Years After Roe Was Overturned: Did Dobbs Save Babies? with Dr. Michael New

Four years after Roe v. Wade was overturned, did Dobbs actually save babies? Many headlines claim abortions have increased, pro-life laws have failed, maternal deaths have risen, and women are receiving worse medical care. But does the data support those claims? In this evidence-driven conversation, Dr. Michael New, assistant professor at The Catholic University of America, Senior Associate Scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, and one of America’s leading researchers on abortion policy, examines what has actually happened since the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision. We discuss: Have pro-life laws saved babies? Why abortion numbers alone don’t tell the whole story The rise of telehealth chemical abortions and mail-order abortion pills New research …

When Your Baby Is Born with a Brain Injury: One Mother’s Story of Hope with Anja Baker

When your child is born with a severe brain injury, how do you grieve the future you imagined while fully embracing the child in front of you? Where do you find hope when doctors, therapies, uncertainty, and endless medical decisions become your new normal? In this powerful episode of Bioethics Babe podcast, Arina Grossu Agnew sits down with Anja Baker—pro-life advocate, wife, mother of four, and disability parent—to share the remarkable story of her son, Hershey, who suffered a severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) brain injury at birth. Anja opens up about the heartbreak of receiving a devastating diagnosis, the realities of medical parenting, and how her family’s faith, community, and supportive school helped them find hope and to “dream …

Will AI Decide What Human Life Is Worth? Pope Leo XIV’s Warning

Artificial intelligence is transforming medicine, health care, education, scientific research, and nearly every aspect of modern life. But as AI becomes more powerful, one question rises above all the others: What does it mean to be human? In this episode of Bioethics Babe, Arina Grossu Agnew explores Pope Leo XIV’s groundbreaking encyclical Magnifica Humanitas (“Magnificent Humanity”) and examines how Catholics, and everyone concerned with human dignity, should think about artificial intelligence. Topics include: Pope Leo XIV’s vision for AI Christian personalism and human dignity AI in medicine and health care Embryo grading, embryo ranking, & designer babies Quality-of-life medicine & algorithmic bias Catholic social teaching and AI …

Abortion Pill Reversal: She Changed Her Mind Hours Later. Can the Baby Be Saved? with Dr. George Delgado

She took the abortion pill… then changed her mind just hours later. Is there anything that can be done? Thousands of women have found themselves in this heartbreaking situation, believing there was no hope. But according to family physician and abortion pill reversal pioneer Dr. George Delgado, that isn’t always the end of the story. In this in-depth conversation, Dr. Delgado explains the science behind abortion pill reversal, how progesterone can counteract the effects of mifepristone, and what the published medical evidence actually shows.  He also shares the remarkable story of how abortion pill reversal was first discovered after women asked physicians for help, leading to a worldwide network that has now helped save more than 8,000 babies. We discuss: How …

What Fertility Treatments Are Ethical? IVF, IUI, & Embryo Ethics with Joe Zalot, PhD

Millions of couples struggle with infertility, yet few realize that not every fertility treatment is ethically the same. Is IVF the only option? Is IUI morally acceptable? Why does the Catholic Church oppose some reproductive technologies while embracing others? And what happens to the millions of frozen embryos already in storage? In this episode of Bioethics Babe, I sit down with Joe Zalot, PhD, Director of Education at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, to unpack one of the most misunderstood topics in modern medicine and Catholic bioethics. Joe has responded to more than 2,400 ethics consultations and has spent years helping physicians, priests, and families navigate the difficult moral questions surrounding infertility, IVF, embryo freezing, surrogacy, donor …

What Happens to a Society When It Starts Killing Its Elderly? with Amanda Achtman

What happens to a society when it starts killing its elderly? What happens when a doctor offers death to a lonely senior before offering treatment? When a grandchild loses a grandparent not to disease, but to euthanasia? When aging parents begin to wonder whether they’re a burden rather than a gift? In Canada, euthanasia now accounts for approximately 1 in 20 deaths, and the program continues to expand. What began as a narrowly defined option for a small group of patients has become one of the most controversial bioethical issues of our time. In this powerful and deeply human conversation, Amanda Achtman, founder of Dying to Meet You, explains why euthanasia is not merely a medical issue, but an existential crisis touching families, medicine, aging, disability, …

Is Donor Conception Ethical? What It Asks Children to Give Up with Katy Faust

Donor conception is often celebrated as a gift, a miracle, and a pathway to parenthood. But what if your missing parent was missing by design? What if the person who created you intentionally planned for one or both of your biological parents to never be part of your life? What does it mean to intentionally separate a child from one or both of his or her biological parents before birth? Do children have a right to know their biological mother and father? How does donor conception differ from adoption? And what are donor-conceived adults saying about growing up without access to one or both sides of their biological family? In this episode, Katy Faust, Founder and President of Them Before Us, explores the ethical, psychological, and cultural questions surrounding donor …

Seven Miscarriages, Two Living Children, and the Hidden Grief So Few Talk About with Gabriela Anastasopoúlou

Seven miscarriages. Two living children. Countless questions. What does it actually feel like to lose a child through miscarriage? What happens when the pregnancy test line starts fading and you realize you’re about to lose another baby? Why do so many women feel completely unprepared for the physical, emotional, and spiritual reality of miscarriage, despite the fact that roughly 1 in 4 pregnancies ends in miscarriage? In this deeply personal and moving conversation, Gabriela Anastasopoúlou shares her journey through a miscarriage, becoming a mom to her son, followed by seven miscarriages and secondary infertility, and the eventual birth of her daughter after years of unanswered questions and heartbreak. Gabriela opens up about: What miscarriage is really …