Wesley J. Smith

Conscience wins—this time.  Nurses at a New Jersey hospital have settled their lawsuit that alleged their hospital tried to force them to receive abortion training and participate in terminations—one being notoriously told she would have to “catch the baby’s . . . . Continue Reading »

I bring this up because it is getting some mistaken play in the blogosphere.  An apparently unconscious man was awake and aware after surgery.  Great news, but why is that a national story?  Because ABC more than intimated he was about to become an organ donor when he suddenly . . . . Continue Reading »

I wanted to take a pass on this story.  It’s gut wrenching from a personal perspective and reflects the difficulties of being humane in an era of very stretched medical budgets. But taking passes isn’t what SHS is all about, so here goes.The NYT had a front page story yesterday . . . . Continue Reading »

I understand the point of hospitalists. They are employees or contractors that manage the care and plan the discharge of hospitalized patients.  The point is to save money without compromising quality of care.But the former may not be happening, and perhaps also, not the latter, at least . . . . Continue Reading »

Another breakthrough was announced by Stanford scientists using induced pluripotent stem cells.  From the press release:Stanford University School of Medicine investigators have shown that iPS cells, viewed as a possible alternative to human embryonic stem cells, can mirror the defining defects . . . . Continue Reading »

Secondhand Smokette ran a column today referencing a local story in which a volunteer sperm donor has biologically contributed to the conception of (soon) 18 children in the area via low tech artificial insemination.  The result? The FDA wants to regulate private sperm . . . . Continue Reading »

Are they out of their minds?  What was the NIH thinking?  The USA funded research into a successful genetic engineering of a deadly strain of bird flu, and now the scientists want to publicly publish key details.  From the Independent story:A deadly strain of bird flu with the . . . . Continue Reading »

Several months ago I was contacted by the American Journal of Bioethics, inquiring whether I would be interested in writing a profile of a prominent person in the field. I said absolutely, and wrote about my good friend, the Stanford professor William Hurlbut, who served for nearly 8 years on the . . . . Continue Reading »

This is pretty shocking.  Apparently, some women have moved beyond piercing, tattoos, and extreme waxing to seeking ”cosmetic surgery” that removes the outer part the genitalia to increase sexual allure.  From an LA Times column,”Pornification of Private Parts: A New . . . . Continue Reading »

Bioethics has taken quite a ride since its inception circa the early 1970s.  Where once I think the ambition was to influence public policy, medical ethics, and court rulings toward a certain generally agreed upon direction, the field is now so ethically polyglot and diverse that it seems . . . . Continue Reading »