Wesley J. Smith

An attempt by the State of Illinois to force pharmacists to dispense emergency contraceptives against their personal religious beliefs has been thwarted by an Illinois Circuit Court.  This is an important case because of its potential U.S. Constitutional implications as its potential impact the . . . . Continue Reading »

The ERs in London, Ontario are so strained, people with serious medical issues are being urged not to come. From the story:Patients in the London area are being told to think twice about whether their problem really merits an ER visit. The London Health Science’s Centre emergency departments . . . . Continue Reading »

The days of embryonic stem cells as “the only hope” are long gone.  Sure scientists still talk about them as the “gold standard” and media still pound the drum, but the paint is fast pealing off that meme. Moreover, the field is only inching forward scientifically as it . . . . Continue Reading »

The medical research sector sure has a sense of entitlement—to the point that some seem to think that funding their work matters more than meeting basic community needs.  How else explain the hundreds of millions the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine continues to borrow and . . . . Continue Reading »

At the outset, let me say that I am in favor of mediating bioethics committees in hospitals.  I have been a member of such a committee.  The members and the good they do day in and day out helping families and professionals navigate treacherous waters cannot be quantified.But bioethics . . . . Continue Reading »

Why do people keep saying that assisted suicide is about terminal illness when nothing else can be done to alleviate suffering, when that premise is patently untrue? Latest example: A UK woman went to Switzerland for assisted suicide to ensure she did not experience the decline associated with old . . . . Continue Reading »

Romneycare—the moniker for the MA universal coverage law, named after former Governor and potential 2012 Republican presidential Candidate, Mitt Romney—is a mini Obamacare. Indeed, the president’s political handlers have said that the inspiration for the national law was the one . . . . Continue Reading »

Last night Secondhand Smokette called for me to come into the den to look at CNN’s Piers Morgan grilling Bob Parsons, the CEO of something called Go Daddy—which is apparently a Web company of some sort, I’m too into my fogeyhood to know.  Morgan was clearly upset that Parsons . . . . Continue Reading »

I was in one of those whimsical moods today, so I made a movie. Most of Marsha’s ideological assertions come right out of the animal rights movement, including Richard Ryder, Gary Francione, and PETA. Enjoy. . . . . Continue Reading »

I eavesdropped and filmed a conversation between a bioethicist and a Hippocratic Oath-taking physician.  Very revealing.  Tune in over at Secondhand Smoke . . . . . Continue Reading »