We hear continually from the elites of bioethics about how people diagnosed as permanently unconscious (persistent vegetative state, or PVS), are no longer persons, and thus, they can be treated as if they were not fully human. That is abhorrent in any event, but the PVS diagnosis is often wrong, as . . . . Continue Reading »
The Scientist (no link available) has written a courageous article—for this day and age—claiming that the Bush Administration aren’t just a bunch of anti-science Luddites, after all. It is not my purpose here at Secondhand Smoke to boost President Bush. But as I wrote last week in . . . . Continue Reading »
We are always assured by “the scientists” that they don’t support “reproductive cloning,” but only want a license to clone so that the asexually created embryos (for now, leading to fetuses later) can be researched upon. To some degree, that is true—but not . . . . Continue Reading »
So, UK scientists have petitioned the authorities to create human/rabbit embryos by injecting human cells into rabbit eggs with their nucleuses removed. If it works, this will create a mostly human but about 1% rabbit hybrid embryo. Given that Brave New Britain’s authorities almost never say . . . . Continue Reading »
I have a piece in today’s Daily Standard, in which I point out that the prime politicizers of science, are the leaders of the science sector. And they have become such money grubbers! A new “science” political action committee has been formed, allegedly to protect science from . . . . Continue Reading »
First, utilitarian bioethicists wanted to redefine people with PVS as dead so they could be treated as so many organ farms ripe for the harvest. Now, several articles published in the misnamed Journal of Medical Ethics urge that patients diagnosed with PVS be used to as guinea pigs to see whether . . . . Continue Reading »
The humorist Art Buchwald has proved what hospice professionals will also tell you: Just because you are diagnosed with a terminal illness, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are about to die. Buchwald has been in hospice for many months because it was thought his kidney ailment would end his . . . . Continue Reading »
Good for the United States Senate (which, unfortunately, is not something one can say very often). It has passed the Animal Enterprises Terrorism Act, 100-0. (To view the entire bill, type S. 3880 in the appropriate box and hit the search function.) If it becomes law, which seems likely, it . . . . Continue Reading »
I haven’t read any of Richard Dawkins’ many jeremiads against faith, and don’t plan to as I am not particularly concerned with issues of atheism vs. religious or spiritual belief. However, I must take note of something he wrote in his blog (which he modestly touts is “a clear . . . . Continue Reading »
The BBC reports that China is continuing its policy of selling the organs of executed prisoners—only with the “consent” of the prisoners, of course. But there aren’t enough executions in China, or procurements from those who die by other means, to explain all of the organs . . . . Continue Reading »
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