Robin Pierucci, M.D., M.A.
Associate ScholarDr. Robin Pierucci, M.D. is a wife, mother, clinical neonatologist, and medical director of a 50-bed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). She completed her residency in pediatrics as well as her fellowship in neonatology at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Medical College of Wisconsin. She also has a master’s degree in Bioethics from the Medical College of Wisconsin and completed the National Catholic Bioethics Center ethics certificate course. In addition to her clinical duties, Dr. Pierucci remains active in a wide range of performance improvement projects including perinatal palliative care, decreasing BPD, and care of infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. She has authored multiple publications and speaks regularly around the country on a variety of perinatal and ethical issues. Dr. Pierucci has appeared on a variety of programs aired on EWTN including Women of Grace, The Journey Home, EWTN Live, and her documentary about in vitro fertilization. In addition to being an associate scholar with the Charlotte Lozier Institute, she has recently become the chair of the American College of Pediatricians pro-life committee.
Research Authored
Fetal Pain, Following the Evidence
During the Dobbs abortion case hearing, Justice Sotomayor made a number of problematic statements. She was unfamiliar with decreases in the edge of viability since Roe was handed down (28 weeks then versus approximately 22 weeks gestation today, with an increasing number of infants surviving at 21 weeks. As a neonatologist, I found perhaps even more distressing her claim that premature babies who are less than 25 weeks gestation cannot feel pain.
At Different Times in Life
As children head back to school, many parents are snapping “first day of school” pictures. This annual event documents not only some interesting fashion trends, but also how physically different we look at different ages. I recently found an older family album that solidified this fact. I had to take a second look to verify that the young woman in the black-and-white wedding photo was indeed a person I know very well, my grandmother. Pictures of her as a young child are more difficult to reconcile with the elderly reality—but then I found a photo that caught a gesture, or something about the twinkle in those eyes that is undeniably her. It’s a reminder that we are more than our physical parts. Mere anatomy and physiology, though incredibly complex, fail to capture or define our character.Â