Carter Snead

Carter Snead is a Professor of Law and Director of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame. He is also a Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he contributes to public discourse on bioethics and law. His academic and professional work bridges legal scholarship, moral philosophy, and public policy.

• Professor of Law, Notre Dame Law School
• Director, de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture
• Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center
• Member, Pontifical Academy for Life
• Former U.S. Delegate to UNESCO Bioethics Committee

Snead holds a J.D. magna cum laude from Georgetown University and a B.A. from St. John’s College. He clerked for Judge Paul J. Kelly Jr. of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. His academic expertise lies at the intersection of law, ethics, and human dignity, particularly in bioethical issues such as abortion, assisted reproduction, and end-of-life decisions.

His research focuses on law and bioethics, constitutional law, neuroethics, and moral philosophy, with an emphasis on the embodied nature of human beings and the implications for public policy. He is a leading critic of the legal reasoning in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, arguing that these decisions are grounded in a flawed anthropology that isolates individuals and denies the moral significance of kinship and vulnerability.

His publications include over 70 scholarly works in journals such as the New York University Law Review, Harvard Law Review Forum, and Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law and Ethics. His 2020 book, What It Means to Be Human: The Case for the Body in Public Bioethics, has been widely acclaimed and awarded the Expanded Reason Award in 2021. The articles in his recent output reflect a consistent focus on the ethical, legal, and societal dimensions of abortion, reproductive technologies, and judicial governance, particularly in the post-Dobbs era. These works emphasize the need for democratic deliberation, civil discourse, and policies that support both mothers and unborn children.

• Expanded Reason Award (2021)
• Elected Fellow, The Hastings Center
• Appointed Member, Pontifical Academy for Life (2016)
• Former Member, UNESCO International Bioethics Committee (2008–2012)

Snead has advised all three branches of the U.S. government on bioethical policy and has testified before Congress and state legislatures. He served as general counsel to the President’s Council on Bioethics and was the chief U.S. negotiator for the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. He regularly serves as an expert witness in federal courts and has lectured to judges on neuroimaging and the law. He is also the editor of two book series for the University of Notre Dame Press.

He leads the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at Notre Dame, which hosts conferences, fellowships, and public lectures aimed at integrating ethical reflection into academic and civic life. The center fosters interdisciplinary dialogue on human dignity, technology, and the common good.