Wesley J. Smith

A recent story in the Weekly Standard by Fred Barnes about Governor Matt Blunt stated that he (Blunt) supported the pending Missouri initiative to legalize “stem cell” research. Of course, that isn’t accurate. I wrote a letter to the editor about it, which Barnes graciously . . . . Continue Reading »

The bioethics news out of the UK keeps getting worse. Now, according to The Sunday Times, doctors are performing late term abortions because of minor anomalies that could be surgically corrected, such as having club feet. Last year a baby was aborted at the 28th week because imaging showed it had a . . . . Continue Reading »

I just checked the NIH site to see the funding levels for stem cell research. Here are the actual numbers for fiscal year 2005: Human embryonic, $40 million; non human embryonic, $97 million; Human, non embryonic, $199 million; and, non human, non embryonic, $273 . . . . Continue Reading »

I just got home from a transhumanism conference (“Human Enhancement Technologies and Human Rights”)being held at Stanford through tomorrow (Sunday). Among the items I learned today are: Feminist bioethics supports genetic engineering so that men can be altered to have babies and women . . . . Continue Reading »

The world’s foremost proponent of infanticide, Peter Singer, argues in the Guardian in favor of granting legal rights to great apes and perhaps other animals. Among the rights these animals should possess, he claims, is the right to life. Yet, the same Peter Singer has written that killing a . . . . Continue Reading »

I have a piece today in the Daily Standard on the need for “mainstream” animal rights activists to work actively to convince the crazies in their movement to stop the violence and intimidation before somebody gets killed. If that happens, I worry that what little restrain remains among . . . . Continue Reading »

It was brought to my attention that the euphemistically named Compassion and Choices (formerly, the Hemlock Society), has a notice on its WEB site about yesterday’s committee hearing that is pure baloney. The note states, “Witnesses called by the majority talked about the Netherlands and . . . . Continue Reading »

I just received this note from Jerri Ward, the indefatigable lawyer standing in the breach for potential futile care theory victims and their families: “I have good news concerning Yolang Vo. The hospital [St. David’s North Austin Medical Center]has extended the deadline until July 17 in . . . . Continue Reading »

The Senate hearing went well today. Senator Sam Brownback is a true gentleman, who treated both sides of the debate with dignity, courtesy, and respect. For those who are interested, here is my written testimony, primarily about the Netherlands and how it is relevant to the debate here in the USA. I . . . . Continue Reading »

I will be testifying before a United States Senate subcommittee on Thursday about the federal role in the assisted suicide debate. My focus will be on the vertical cliff off of which the Netherlands has fallen since it began permitting euthansia. Also testifying will be Rita Marker, head of the . . . . Continue Reading »