I’m reading A Brief History of the Normans by François Neveux. So far it’s quite informative and readable, but the author, apparently following current scholarly fashion, insists on referring to the medieval expeditions of the Northmen as “migrations.” For, you . . . . Continue Reading »
“I’m a liberal Democrat. And I do not favor same-sex marriage. Do those positions sound contradictory? To me, they fit together.” So writes David Blankenhorn, author of The Future of Marriage , in a recent LA Times editorial. The legalization of same-sex marriage, he writes, is . . . . Continue Reading »
The Times of London reports that scientists hope to be able to reduce the 40% misdiagnosis of PVS. From the story:Ten years ago, Kate went into a deep coma and was on a ventilator for several weeks. She had suffered severe brain inflammation after contracting a viral infection. When she came out of . . . . Continue Reading »
Sometimes I am just amazed. Hwang Woo suk is a charlatan. Readers of SHS and others will recall that, a few years ago, he created an international media sensation by claiming to have created the first cloned embryos from which he obtained patient specific, tailor made, embryonic stem cells. He was . . . . Continue Reading »
I can’t think of any more vivid example of the dramatic change in the scientific and political paradigms regarding stem cell research than James Thomson, the discoverer of human ESCs—moving away from embryonic stem cell field and into IPSCs. From the story: With their field riding a wave . . . . Continue Reading »
I was honored to appear on Friday the 19th of September before the Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities, as part of its series on “Life Threatening Public Policy.” My presentation is a bit lengthy—more than an hour—during which I focus on human exceptionalism, . . . . Continue Reading »
The FDA has decided to regulate genetic engineering of animals. And it looks to be confusing. From the story:The agency has premised the rules on an unusual reading of the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, saying that the inserted DNA used to modify an animal can be regulated as a “new . . . . Continue Reading »
I am concluding a very successful trip to MA and CT, giving a series of speeches to advocates for, and defenders of, people with developmental and cognitive disabilities, in which I have warned against utilitarian bioethics and its explicit and implicit push toward the so-called “duty to . . . . Continue Reading »
Barach Obama has been accused of opposing the Infant Born Alive Protection Act, which requires hospitals and doctors to treat the survivors of attempted abortion. He denies this despite having refused repeatedly to vote for the Illinois versions.This 2001 transcript, pp.86-87, is telling. Expressing . . . . Continue Reading »
I’d quote Mr. Pope in saying, “To err is human,” but this morning it was the error of the router in our office that stalled our blogging temporarily. To those who came by seeking a tidbit of insight or humor, you’ll be glad to hear the problem’s now fixed and the FT . . . . Continue Reading »
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