Wesley J. Smith

Is it just me, or does it also seem to you that the popular entertainment is increasingly pro-suicide, assisted suicide, and euthanasia in its themes and plot lines? The latest example, alas, was brought to us by BBC’s Torchwood—one of my favorite programs, a spin-off of another . . . . Continue Reading »

A The Lancet editorial criticizing the World Health Organization and UNICEF for allegedly manipulating scientific data to achieve a political result—the accuracy of which I take no position—speaks to a bigger problem that I am seeing with dismaying regularity. In government, in science . . . . Continue Reading »

Hospitalized-care in the UK seems to be in a terrible meltdown: Hospital acquired infection is an ongoing crisis, waiting lists for surgeries, operating deficits, you name it. But a recent dereliction that may have cost a woman her life, might just take the cake. Patricia Prowse died after minor . . . . Continue Reading »

PETA’s goal is to end all human use of animals—no matter the benefit. Toward this end, they engage in often funny guerrilla theater tactics—such as the “running of the nudes” in Spain to protest the running of the bulls.But beneath such edgy public strategies is a . . . . Continue Reading »

This story, byline Malcolm Ritter the AP’s science writer, follows up on the earlier reports that monkeys have been cloned and embryonic stem cells derived. As I suspected, the researchers apparently burned through a lot of eggs. From the story:Despite the monkey success, “we’re . . . . Continue Reading »

We keep reading stories and opinion columns castigating the DEA for enforcing federal law prohibiting all consumption of marijuana—regardless of state laws permitting its medical use. This is a problem that needs addressing, alright, but not by the slight-of-hand trick of making law . . . . Continue Reading »

Behind the CURES! CURES! CURES! facade of ESCR/SCNT research, is a mighty drive for money and fame. Nothing unusual there, nor in itself, an improper motive. Indeed, patents exist to ensure that innovators benefit from their own work.This issue is of major consequence in the ESCR debates. ESCR has . . . . Continue Reading »

Monkeys are violently attacking people in Delhi, and authorities seem helpless to stop the rampages. From the story: In the latest incident in Delhi’s Shastri Park area, residents reported the monkeys appeared late Saturday and rampaged for hours. “I was talking to someone at my door at . . . . Continue Reading »

New Jersey voters told New Jersey politicians to stuff going deeply into debt to pay Big Biotech hundreds of millions for human cloning and embryonic stem cell research. But it may not matter much, since the politicians are intent on doing whatever they please any way. A column by Paul Mulshine in . . . . Continue Reading »

Debra J. Saunders, the syndicated columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle (better known as Secondhand Smokette), had a good column in yesterday’s paper (“American Vampire”) about the growing problem of buying and selling human organs. (This follows up on a 2006 column of the same . . . . Continue Reading »