The eugenics string got kicked off the regular Corner dialogue, but I bring it to you here, if you are interested. Stuttaford calls Leon Kass a “crank” because he (Kass)claims that one of the things in life that focuses us, is the knowledge of our mortality. He also claims we should . . . . Continue Reading »
I don’t usually agree with Art Caplan, and he doesn’t usually agree with me. But he has it right in this piece that imposing a hysterectomy, mastectomy, and hormonal treatments on a disabled girl to make sure she remained small—while certainly well motivated—went too far. He . . . . Continue Reading »
Michigan has the most enlightened biotech regulatory policy in the country. First, it outlaws all human cloning. Second, it welcomes biotech companies that do ethical research and has a thriving biotech sector. Finally, today, the governor signed into law a measure that will encouraging the banking . . . . Continue Reading »
UK scientists, who want to make human/animal hybrid cloned embryos for use in stem cell research, are warning that unless they are permitted to proceed as they desire, hundreds of thousands of patients may die. Enough already. We’ve heard it before. Such arguments are just part of the great . . . . Continue Reading »
07_Stem Cell Hype vs HopeWe are often told that those with illnesses and disabilities—especially celebrities such as Michael J. Fox and Mary Tyler Moore—should be listened to since they have absolute moral authority due to their conditions. Well, James Kelly, who is the speaker in this . . . . Continue Reading »
The Cornerites continue to discuss eugenics. Derbyshire agrees with Stuttaford’s comment that increasing the human capacity to love would be a terrible idea. “Capacity to Love.” He quotes a poem, that seems to say (I am not sure) that love is the cause of great sadness. It can be, . . . . Continue Reading »
I have had several requests from readers to comment on the story of the cognitively disabled girl named Ashley, whose parents subjected her to hormone treatments and invasive surgeries (hysterectomy, mastectomy) to keep her “small.” The point of these “treatments” was to . . . . Continue Reading »
I have done a little more reading from the Edge, the self-described meeting place of the “most interesting minds” in the world. As some of you will recall from an earlier posting, the Edge is asking the brilliantly interesting among us to describe what they are scientifically optimistic . . . . Continue Reading »
Taken from the extracted wisdom teeth of young adults. And the beat goes . . . . Continue Reading »
When I was in South Africa speaking a few years ago, Secondhand Smokette and I made a point of traveling to a big game park so we could view the wild animals at close quarters. We stayed at Umlani, which is in a private park, and had a superb time viewing lions, a cheetah, elephants galore (a big . . . . Continue Reading »
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