Wesley J. Smith

I’ve covered the proposed SF circumcision ban pretty extensively. And now, unless an appeals court reverses—it’s over.  A judge has thrown it off the ballot. From the LA Times story:San Francisco residents will not be voting in November on whether to prohibit circumcision . . . . Continue Reading »

After my earlier post about Judge Lamberth dismissing the case seeking to enjoin government funding of ESCR, The Corner asked me to weigh in.  I decided to focus in part on a pet peeve of mine—how policy today too often is decided by expediency, redefining terms, and refusing to enforce . . . . Continue Reading »

District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has dismissed the lawsuit filed against the Obama funding of ESCR. From the story:A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuitchallenging the Obama administration’s funding of stem cell research. The lawsuit, filed by Boston biological engineer James L. . . . . Continue Reading »

At the height of the AIDS crisis, gay men were barred from donating blood because of the greater likelihood that homosexuals could be infected with HIV.  Now, the U.S. Government is going to take another look.  From the National Journal story:The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, an HHS . . . . Continue Reading »

As we have discussed here before, preventive screening has, in some cases, become controversial.  Example: PSA blood tests for signs of prostate cancer.  Some believe that false positives can lead to unnecessary further testing or treatment—adding to the strain on health care . . . . Continue Reading »

After Obamacare was shoved down our generally unwilling throats, people’s opposition helped lead to the retirement of Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House.  But by then, Obamacare had been set in concrete with money set aside ahead of time to prevent opponents from defunding.  . . . . Continue Reading »

This is so funny. The National Center for Science Education—which spends a lot of time and money castigating my Discovery Institute pals about wanting to teach intelligent design as supposed “religious advocacy” in public schools (they don’t)—apparently has no problem . . . . Continue Reading »

Stories like this drive me crazy.  A for-profit hospice is being sued for allowing one of its patients to have maggots in a wound without treatment.  The excuse given is utterly unacceptable.  From the Bloomberg column, “Preparing Americans for Death Allows Hospices to Neglect . . . . Continue Reading »

The New York Times has an interesting report today that male contraceptives in human trials appear to work, generally by reducing sperm output to the point of infertility.  From the story:Male contraceptives are attracting growing interest from scientists, who believe they hold promise for . . . . Continue Reading »

I am a strong believer in medical conscience rights—properly defined and narrowly construed.  Apparently, a poll of medical students in the UK found strong support for their right as doctors to refuse to treat certain patients.   I worry that is too broad an . . . . Continue Reading »