Wesley J. Smith

I’m sorry, this is a trivial matter, really, but it just set me off. The below quoted letter to the editor—reacting to a story about a man who shot a cat to keep it from killing an endangered bird— was published in today’s New York Times Magazine:I read Bruce Barcott’s . . . . Continue Reading »

I am regularly contacted by families who believe their loved ones have been terribly mistreated in hospitals. Sometimes, it is clearly a misunderstanding and I try to set their minds at ease. At other times, the story seems to be an egregious abuse but there is little I can do. On those occasions, I . . . . Continue Reading »

A promising new adult stem cell treatment for breast reconstruction of women who have had lump-ectomies to treat breast cancer has been reported in the Washington Post. From the story:For the first time, doctors have used stem cells from liposuctioned fat to fix breast defects in women who have had . . . . Continue Reading »

I am assuming that the descriptions in this story are accurate for purposes of analysis. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution:Alicia Fennell had just one hour to save her husband’s life. Doctors at Emory Eastside Medical Center in Snellville said he was brain dead and being kept alive . . . . Continue Reading »

The Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation and Priests for Life have announced the establishment of “Terri’s Day.” From the story:The Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation and Priests for Life jointly announced that “Terri’s Day” will advocate for people in situations . . . . Continue Reading »

The current Futile Care Theory fuss in Canada, in which a hospital wants to remove Samuel Golubchuk’s respirator and feeding tube because he is diagnosed as unconscious, seems to be playing out in the polls as favoring the family that wants their father’s life-sustaining treatment to . . . . Continue Reading »

Each year the Center for Bioethics and Culture asks me to predict what will happen in the next 12 months regarding the major bioethical and biotechnological controversies of the day. So, I put on my Carnac the Magnificent hat and predicted away. It is worth noting that my expectations were affected . . . . Continue Reading »

When I was in Toronto recently at the international anti-euthanasia conference, I focused my speech on the looming threat of Futile Care Theory as the next big bioethical controversy. And already, I am proved prescient. A Canadian hospital is trying to force an elderly man off of a respirator and . . . . Continue Reading »

A column in the KC Star grouses that the state is funding life sciences research into animal and plant experiments, but not human studies. From the column by Jason Gertzen:The Missouri General Assembly created the trust fund and the grant program a few years ago. It was one of the ways state leaders . . . . Continue Reading »

People like this deserve to be jailed and the key thrown away. The continuing rabid attacks against Huntingdon Life Sciences and any business that deals with the company, has now led these fanatics to threaten to poison the general population. This is an anonymous “communique” from a . . . . Continue Reading »