Few doctors take the Hippocratic Oath anymore. But many still believe in its maxims, including not to perform abortions, assist in suicides, or otherwise harm patients or other human life.Conscience clauses are controversial. President Obama said at Notre Dame that he believes in them—but his . . . . Continue Reading »
President Obama said at Notre Dame that he supports conscience clauses for doctors who don’t want to perform abortions, but he is seeking to revoke the existing Bush conscience clause. How can we protect doctors who believe in the Hippocratic Oath from being driven out of medicine when they . . . . Continue Reading »
PoMoCon, just across the toolbar, picked up on David Brooks’ paean to lack of imagination in the corporate world on May 21, aptly noting that it was a sequel to his earlier claim that anyone could be Mozart by practicing enough. I had excoriated Brooks for bait-and-switch, that is, claiming . . . . Continue Reading »
I was looking for a crucifix to hang on the wall above my desk. It never occurred to me that this would be a difficult thing to find.Now, honestly. I can’t decide what I think is stranger: the head of Christ growing out of the bark like some kind of miracle knothole apparation; the Crucifixion . . . . Continue Reading »
An unsurprising report finds that terminally ill people often procrastinate in entering hospice, and as a result, don’t receive the full benefit of this beneficent form of care. From the story:Americans tend to procrastinate when it comes to matters involving death and dying, but a Harvard . . . . Continue Reading »
Well, I can’t say I’m suprised. After being one of the most vocal advocates for overturning the ban on federally funded stem-cell research, Scientific American now admits that actual therapies derived from ESCR would still be years away and that adult stem cells might still be more . . . . Continue Reading »
Terry Mattingly at GetReligion reads between the lines of the mainstream coverage to find out. His conclusion? Yes. Maybe. Depends. Update: Steve Waldeman claims that a White House official confirmed to him that Sotomayor is Catholic. . . . . Continue Reading »
The other day I mentioned that a blog called Semicolon was hosting a favorite-hymns survey. As it turns out, the people at PopularHymns.com have already compiled one. Hymns are listed alphabetically; click on any title for words, audio clips, histories and author bios. Guess I know what I’ll . . . . Continue Reading »
So the Italian government has forked over $4 million to buy what it believes to be an original Michelangelo —a 16” wooden image of the crucified Christ. It’s currently on display in Naples, but critics say it’s a phony: “When it comes to this statue, it is like . . . . Continue Reading »
Hollywood loves assisted suicide, with pro PAS themes often featured in some of the most popular television shows and in movies. Now, Al Pacino is going to star as Jack Kevorkian in a HBO movie based on a fawning book by a Kevorkian acolyte. Check out my blog Secondhand Smoke for more details of . . . . Continue Reading »
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