Wesley J. Smith

I am no fan of anti-vivisection societies given that I believe medical research using animals is scientifically necessary and (usually) a profoundly humanitarian work, and these groups seek to end such activities. That being said, I do think they can provide a valuable contribution to society by . . . . Continue Reading »

With the Michael Vick guilty plea, I updated my earlier column on how his dog fighting activities violated our human duty to treat animals humanely for the San Francisco Chronicle. It is a little stronger on the human exceptionalism than the former column, and all in all I think, a somewhat better . . . . Continue Reading »

The politicization of science has grown so bad that science has, in many cases, ceased to be science any more. We have seen this in the cloning debates in which heterodox thinkers about the ethics of ESCR and cloning have been denied tenure and/or driven out of universities. We see it in the global . . . . Continue Reading »

It’s a little hard to see but the little man at the left, who failed to sell the tonsils, is saying, “I guess I should have gone with the appendix.” . . . . Continue Reading »

This edition of my podcast Brave New Bioethics considers the Michael Vick case. Based on my column of a few weeks ago, I describe how the profound wrong done to the dogs was a violation of the perpetrators’ . . . . Continue Reading »

The ban on DDT has cost of millions of lives in Africa and other tropical places. Yet despite the human carnage, environmentalists continue to resist permitting the anti-mosquito chemical to be used as a malaria and other disease preventative.But as the Wall Street Journal points out (subscription . . . . Continue Reading »

For all of the whining we hear from the political-scientists about lack of funding for ESCR/SCNT, it is stunning to see just how much money is out there for the research, as shown in the Rockefeller Institute Report, “Federalism by Necessity.” Consider that the Feds support for ESCR . . . . Continue Reading »

The weak and vulnerable need the “conscience” protection provided by adherence to the sanctity/equality of life ethic. Without extra devotion to this vital principle, those least able to defend themselves can become victimized by behavior that flows from a belief that their lives and . . . . Continue Reading »

The Holocaust Museum of Houston, Texas is presenting a terrific lecture series entitled “Medical Ethics and the Holocaust” over the fall and into the early winter. I am honored to be a participant. I will be debating the issue of assisted suicide against Compassion and Choice’s . . . . Continue Reading »

We’ve heard the mantra repeatedly: embryonic stem cells are the only hope (or the best hope) for curing this disease and that disease. But the evidence continues to grow that this just isn’t true.Today’s story deals with multiple sclerosis. I have previously reported here at SHS . . . . Continue Reading »