Wesley J. Smith

How can anyone be burned at the stake beheaded for “casting a spell” in the 21st Century?  But that is what has just happened in Saudi Arabia, as a “sorcerer” was executed.  From the story: According to the officer’s account Abdul Hamid agreed to carry out . . . . Continue Reading »

Blimey!  The British Medical Journal reports on a study indicting the system of caring for eldelry people in UK hospitals. The title tells it all: “Half of English hospitals fail to meet basic standards on care for older people” (no link, BMJ . . . . Continue Reading »

A German restaurant serves cuisine that only features food eaten by our ancient cave dwelling ancestors. From the Daily Mail Story:Proudly announcing a ‘Real Food Revolution - Paleolithic cuisine!’, there is no cheese, bread or sugar available, only fare accessible to our hunter-gatherer . . . . Continue Reading »

Readers of Secondhand Smoke and my other writings know that I have grown increasingly concerned at the deprofessionalization of medicine. Part of this is a self deconstruction in which medical organizations and many bioethicists have reduced doctors to so many order taking technocrats with . . . . Continue Reading »

This post isn’t about the propriety of the death penalty so much as it is about the dangers and profound crassness of utilitarian philosophy.  Peter Singer has stated that if he was convinced of a utilitarian benefit to society from the death penalty, he would support . . . . Continue Reading »

There has been a controversial meme circulating for several years which holds that the abortion right resulted unintentionally in a reduction in crime.  The idea, I think, is that the fetuses who became medical waste would, but for being aborted, have become children raised in unstable homes . . . . Continue Reading »

The euthanasia agenda is not—and never has been—limited to the “terminally ill for whom nothing else can be done to alleviate suffering.”  Some still pretend that is so as a political expedient, but many are becoming increasingly forthcoming about the radical scope of . . . . Continue Reading »

Obamacare continues to be a political albatross. A new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation (not exactly known for right wingism) shows a record low in support. From The Hill story:Support for Democrats’ healthcare reform has hit its lowest point since the law passed in March 2010, says a . . . . Continue Reading »

So, opponents of animal research: Should we not investigate the factors in snakes that make their hearts so powerful?  If so, we might miss out on some very important knowledge. From the AFP story:The secret to the giant Burmese python’s success is in a massive amount of fatty acids . . . . Continue Reading »

IVF has been painted as a virtually risk free enterprise.  But we haven’t much studied the long term impact on children—who appear to have higher rates of certain health issues than those conceived through the natural process—or on women who have had their ovaries . . . . Continue Reading »