Turn off NDEBUG to see if anything fails.
diff --git a/ruby/ext/google/protobuf_c/BUILD.bazel b/ruby/ext/google/protobuf_c/BUILD.bazel
index 391edaa..9230a76 100644
--- a/ruby/ext/google/protobuf_c/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/ruby/ext/google/protobuf_c/BUILD.bazel
@@ -100,9 +100,9 @@
         "-Wno-declaration-after-statement",
     ],
     linkstatic = True,
-    local_defines = [
-        "NDEBUG",
-    ],
+    #    local_defines = [
+    #        "NDEBUG",
+    #    ],
     target_compatible_with = select({
         "//ruby:ffi_disabled": ["@platforms//:incompatible"],
         "//conditions:default": [],
diff --git a/ruby/ext/google/protobuf_c/extconf.rb b/ruby/ext/google/protobuf_c/extconf.rb
index ed812c9..6b60f66 100755
--- a/ruby/ext/google/protobuf_c/extconf.rb
+++ b/ruby/ext/google/protobuf_c/extconf.rb
@@ -7,9 +7,11 @@
 dir_config(ext_name)
 
 if RUBY_PLATFORM =~ /darwin/ || RUBY_PLATFORM =~ /linux/ || RUBY_PLATFORM =~ /freebsd/
-  $CFLAGS += " -std=gnu99 -O3 -DNDEBUG -fvisibility=hidden -Wall -Wsign-compare -Wno-declaration-after-statement"
+  # $CFLAGS += " -std=gnu99 -O3 -DNDEBUG -fvisibility=hidden -Wall -Wsign-compare -Wno-declaration-after-statement"
+  $CFLAGS += " -std=gnu99 -O3 -fvisibility=hidden -Wall -Wsign-compare -Wno-declaration-after-statement"
 else
-  $CFLAGS += " -std=gnu99 -O3 -DNDEBUG"
+  # $CFLAGS += " -std=gnu99 -O3 -DNDEBUG"
+  $CFLAGS += " -std=gnu99 -O3"
 end
 
 if RUBY_PLATFORM =~ /linux/
diff --git a/ruby/lib/google/tasks/ffi.rake b/ruby/lib/google/tasks/ffi.rake
index 5de10a7..f761c7c 100644
--- a/ruby/lib/google/tasks/ffi.rake
+++ b/ruby/lib/google/tasks/ffi.rake
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
   end
 
   task.add_include_path third_party_path
-  task.add_define 'NDEBUG'
+  # task.add_define 'NDEBUG'
   task.cflags << "-std=gnu99 -O3"
   [
     :convert, :defs, :map, :message, :protobuf, :repeated_field, :wrap_memcpy