Bernadette TobinAO (born 1946) is an Australian Catholic
ethicist and professor of
philosophy. She is the daughter of political activist and journalist
B.A. Santamaria.[1][2]
Education
Tobin was educated at
Genazzano College, Kew[3] and received her undergraduate degree from the
University of Melbourne in 1968. She also completed a Masters of Education (1977) and a Master of Arts (1983) at the same institution.[4]
Tobin is a founding director of
The Plunkett Centre. The centre was established in 1992 as a joint venture between
St Vincent's Hospital and the
Australian Catholic University.[7] Tobin was appointed a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the Australian Catholic University in 1996. She held this position until 2002.[8]
Tobin is an honorary member of the medical faculty at the
University of New South Wales and the
University of Sydney through the clinical schools at St Vincent's and the Children's Hospital, Westmead respectively.[6] She has been a featured speaker at the Wheeler Centre speaking about faith, religion and spirituality.[9]
Tobin is married to Terence Tobin, who is a former Chancellor of the
University of Notre Dame Australia.[12] As close friends of
George Pell, the Tobins visited him frequently in prison and assisted with his communication with lawyers.[13]
In 2018, Tobin was made a Dame Grand Cross of the
Order of St. Gregory the Great, alongside her husband Terence Tobin.[14] The papal award was for her service in ethics and education.
Guest editor (with Steve Matthews) of Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics (2016)[6]
Is it justifiable to compel performance by a doctor in violation of conscience? Australasian Catholic Record, January 2019
Female Genital Mutilation and the role of health-care practitioners (with David Isaacs), Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 53, 2017
Human vulnerability in medical contexts (with Steve Matthews). Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics, 37, 2016.
When doctors and parents disagree. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 50, 2014.
Religious Perspectives on Umbilical Cord Blood Banking (with Jordens, C et al.) Journal of Law and Medicine, 19; 2012.
Spinal muscular atrophy: do the benefits of ventilation compensate for its burdens? (with Gray, K; Isaacs, D; Kilham, H;) Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 49, 2013.
^Pell, George (2021). Prison Journal, Volume Two: The State Court Rejects the Appeal, 14 July 2019–30 November 2019 (paperback). San Francisco: Ignatius Press. pp. 30, 108, 116, 127.
ISBN9781621644507.