Nancy Valko, RN, a contributing editor for Voices and long-time advocate of patients with disabilities, writes the regular "Bioethics Watch" column for Voices. A Registered Nurse since 1969, she is president of Missouri Nurses for Life. She is a spokesman for the National Association of Pro-life Nurses, a board member of Missouri Right to Life, and past co-chair of the Saint Louis Archdiocesan Pro-Life Committee.
Currently working in intensive care, Mrs. Valko has served on several medical and nursing ethics committees and has given speeches and workshops around the country on medical ethics issues. She is also used as a consultant on ethical issues for individuals and groups, and has served on the board of the Saint Louis Down Syndrome Association and is active in the field of disability advocacy. She has worked as a volunteer for children with disabilities, people with severe brain injuries, and bereaved parents.
She has appeared on many radio and television shows on various medical, ethical, and pro-life topics; and she has written on this topic for The National Catholic Register, the National Right to Life News, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, First Things magazine and other publications.
"I have personally cared for many relatives with a variety of physical or mental disabilities, including my mother with Alzheimer's and terminal cancer and a daughter, Karen, who was born with Down Syndrome and a severe heart defect. Although both are now deceased, the influence of my mother and daughter has positively motivated my activities in medical ethics and working for greater support for people and families dealing with disabilities, chronic illness and terminal conditions", she writes. Mrs. Valko and her three children live in St. Louis