Dr. Julie Ponesse with My Choice

Former university professor with a PhD in ethics and ancient philosophy, Julie is now the Pandemic Ethics Scholar with The Democracy Fund.

For months, Julie had already been a volunteer with the Canadian Covid Care Alliance as the ethics and law committee chair.

On January 13, 2022, Lynn Thompson welcomed Julie to Living on Purpose by Zoom with a dozen people in the audience from numerous places in the world for this 45-minute podcast that features some voices of the audience. The 18-minute Audience Companion Podcast is available, featuring glimpses of discussion after and before Julie's appearance.

More of Dr. Ponesse's education includes a Masters in Philosophy with Collaborative Specialization in Bioethics from the University of Toronto and a Diploma in Ethics from the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University.

After teaching at universities in Canada and the US for 20 years, Dr. Ponesse saw her academic career fall apart in September 2021 after she refused to comply with a Canadian university's COVID vaccine mandate.

In response, she recorded a special video directed to her first-year ethics students, Ethics 101, a short lesson on the universally accepted ethics of coercing people into medical procedures. That video went viral. 

"If we could just realize that it's better to have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned." —Dr. Julie Ponesse

In early November 2021, The Democracy Fund, one of the largest civil liberties organizations in Canada, offered Dr. Ponesse the position of the Pandemic Ethics Scholar. She is conducting interviews and many are scheduling interviews with her.

In December 2021, Dr. Ponesse released a book, published by The Democracy fund, titled My Choice: The Ethical Case Against Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates. 

In her book, with passion and intelligence, Dr. Ponesse charts her account of the dramatic change of her career direction and its ongoing aftermath. However, her story travels beyond the personal by examining our pandemic response's philosophical dimensions and ethics. For anyone who feels alone while preserving personal choice and freedom, Julie's book offers compassionate guidance and encouragement on how to move forward and share your voice.

"Asking questions, challenging the narrative, and other ways to get canceled in 2021!"

Thanks for listening! Music for The On Purpose Podcast (Living on Purpose) is thanks to Black Fedora, Sneaky Jazz.