I don’t believe a word of it. The notorious Italian fertility doctor claims that nine years ago he was able to bring three cloned babies to birth. From the story:A controversial Italian doctor known for his work allowing post-menopausal women to have children has claimed in an interview to . . . . Continue Reading »
The other day I posted about how a lawyer for one of the Final Exit Network defendants said that hospice is just assisted suicide in slow motion. This is dangerous demagoguery that could convince people not to seek the benefits that hospice can provide. The National Hospice and Palliative Care . . . . Continue Reading »
No, it’s not your teenager. . . . . Continue Reading »
A study published in the February issue of Science argues that the evolutionary roots of moral disgust may be linked to our reaction to poison and disease: In the study, the scientists examined facial movements when participants tasted unpleasant liquids and looked at photographs of disgusting . . . . Continue Reading »
When the smartest Republican governor, Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal, sounds dumb in responding to the administration’s economic plan, something is drastically wrong. On the face of it the Obama plan is the most easily ridiculed policy vehicle to stumble down Pennsylvania Avenue since Gerald . . . . Continue Reading »
The Hastings Center published an article in its journal IRB: Ethics and Human Research (“Including Persons with Alzheimer Disease in Research on Comorbid Conditions,” 31, no. 1 (2009): 1-6) that I found both alarming and a sign of the increased desire among some in the bioethics and . . . . Continue Reading »
Furthermore , if babies help make us human, wouldn’t that mean that fewer babies might make us more selfish and less sociable—in the words of Dr. Hrdy, less human? But I keep getting ahead of myself. . . . . Continue Reading »
Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. They just help make us people and not other primates, reports the New York Times : In the view of the primatologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, the extraordinary social skills of an infant are at the heart of what makes us human. Through its ability to solicit . . . . Continue Reading »
A last-minute addition to my travels near Boston: I mentioned last week that I’ll be giving a poetry reading on Saturday, March 14, at 3:00 p.m. at Jabberwocky Bookshop , 50 Water Street, Newburyport, Massachusetts. Some Readers of First Things in Wellesley saw the announcement and asked if I . . . . Continue Reading »
In an article about the LA Fertility Institute’s recent offer to help parents choose the genetic traits of their children, including eye and hair color and gender, the company’s founder, Dr. Jeff Steinberg, said “I would not say this is a dangerous road. It’s an uncharted . . . . Continue Reading »
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