Wesley J. Smith

The National Academy of Sciences has published voluntary guidelines to govern therapeutic cloning and embryonic stem cell research. Unsurprisingly, they don’t offer much in the way of limitations. For example, the NAS would permit biotechnologists to create embryos—either naturally or . . . . Continue Reading »

I recently learned, to my astonishment, that Dolly was not the first cloned mammal. Now, scientists are stating that since primates have not yet been cloned to birth, it will almost surely never happen with humans. What a crock. Monkeys have already been cloned to birth several times using the same . . . . Continue Reading »

I am often asked if videos of my speeches are available. Here is the video stream of one I presented recently at Seattle University School of Law. The topic was: Bioethics: Creating a Disposable Caste of People. Please, tune in. And if you don’t like it, remember the old saying: You get what . . . . Continue Reading »

Many still believe that the goal of the animal rights/liberation movement is to find more humane ways for humans to make proper use of animals. That would be a noble goal, but it is not what animal liberationists were really after. Rather than supporting animal welfare—which acknowledges the . . . . Continue Reading »

Advocates for euthanasia like to call it the “ultimate civil right.” But you won’t find traditional civil rights organizations joining along. Indeed, those who really want assisted suicide tend to be well off folk who have no fear of being denied quality health care.More proof of . . . . Continue Reading »

Howard Dean, head of the Democratic Party, says that Democrats will use Terri Schiavo’s tragedy as a partisan club with which to hit Republicans in the 2006 election. I am not involved in partisan politics, but this strikes me as the worst sort of opportunism. Dean seems to have forgotten that . . . . Continue Reading »

California euthanasia ideologues are working overtime to legalize assisted suicide in the Golden State (A.B. 654). They often point to Oregon as the model for a “good law.” In other places, I have often noted, as have many others, that the Oregon law is NOT working as hyped. However, . . . . Continue Reading »

The publicity from the Terri Schiavo case has apparently saved its first life. Apparently an ill elderly woman was consigned to dehydration by her grandchildren despite having an advance directive stating that she only wanted no feeding tube if she were in a persistent vegetative state. She . . . . Continue Reading »

One of the least covered but fundamental problems associated with human cloning is the need to use human eggs—one egg for each cloning try. Obtaining eggs involves an onerous process known as super ovulation, in which a woman is administered high doses of hormones to induce her ovaries to . . . . Continue Reading »

During the last ten-plus years, I have had the privilege of working closely with two giants in public advocacy. One is Ralph Nader, with whom I co-authored four books. The other is Rita Marker, the head of the International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide. Indeed, the powerful impact . . . . Continue Reading »