Season 14 • Episode 1068

The Ethics of Including Pregnant People in Clinical Trials

Jun 24, 2026

16:36

COVID-19 Global Health Vaccines & Immunization Clinical Trials & Research Bioethics & Medical Ethics Public Health Pregnancy & Maternal Health

Episode Description

About this episode:

Research on the potential impacts of certain medications, vaccines, and interventions on pregnant people and their fetuses is lacking. Much of this is due to culturally perceived risks associated with pregnancy and fears of litigation. In this episode: Ruth Faden, an expert in bioethics, explains how this gap in data can fuel other risks and how to ethically and responsibly include pregnant people in clinical trials.

Note: This conversation builds on a recent episode of playing god?, the podcast from the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. Listen to that episode here.

Guest:

Ruth Faden, PhD, MPH, is the Philip Franklin Wagley Professor of Biomedical Ethics and the founding director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics.

Host:

Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.

Show links and related content:

Two Bodies, One Prescription—playing god?
COVID-19 Vaccines and Pregnancy—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
The second wave: Toward responsible inclusion of pregnant women in research—International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics
Weighing the Risks and Benefits of Medication Use During Pregnancy—Public Health On Call (October 2025)

Transcript information:

Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel.

Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.