Wesley J. Smith

The Belgian medical establishment’s enthusiastic embrace of euthanasia has been breathtaking and appalling to behold. Now a study is out stating that a euthanasia counseling service is being underutilized by Belgian doctors.  From” Implementation of a service for physicians’ . . . . Continue Reading »

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has allowed a Texas law to go into immediate effect that requires doctors to demonstrate that a fetus is a living being 24 hours before a termination.  From the Kaiser Health News story:A federal appeals court ruled Friday that a new Texas abortion . . . . Continue Reading »

Decadence strikes a beat, into your heart it will seep—to paraphrase a rock classic.  But now, that term has reached a new low in the Netherlands as two men “promoted organ donation” (???) by appearing on a television program purporting to eat tiny pieces of each . . . . Continue Reading »

Oh good grief.  As I recounted in detail in Consumer’s Guide to a Brave New World, the human cloning/embryonic stem cell research company, Advanced Cell Technology, has been masterful at getting itself—and its chief scientist Robert Lanza—in the news.  Here, for example, . . . . Continue Reading »

I have a short book review of the interesting novel, The Leftovers, in the current First Things.  Here it is for those who might be interested in reading a different kind of post “Rapture” novel. (no link):No angel’s horn blew. The Risen Christ did not return with a . . . . Continue Reading »

The Journal of the American Medical Association published an article by Douglas B. White, MD and law professor Thaddeus M. Pope, arguing that intractable futile care disputes belong in court.  (In a medical futility dispute, doctors seek to withdraw life-sustaining treatment over the . . . . Continue Reading »

The January Human Exceptionalist is now out for your perusal.  Here is my introductory letter. From the HE: Dear Exceptional Human:Happy New Year to all from the Discovery Institute’s Center on Human Exceptionalism!  It may be 2012, but the struggle to maintain human exceptionalism . . . . Continue Reading »

We discussed the new computer model that supposedly can predict how much longer one has to live in the context of whether a patient should be told they have less than ten years.  But the NYT’s take on the same story raises another issue we only tangentially touched before; whether a . . . . Continue Reading »

Once again fraudulent scientific research has made the headlines—this time regarding the supposed health benefits of drinking red wine.  From the Reuters story:A University of Connecticut researcher who studied the link between aging and a substance found in red wine has committed more . . . . Continue Reading »

I am not a football fan.  I will, thus, not be watching the Superbowl.  But it is a day of fun with family and friends that many people look forward to enjoying for months ahead of time.I am also not a fan of Randall Terry.  In the least.  Which is why I am not . . . . Continue Reading »