Wesley J. Smith

I am sympathetic to the motivation of those who argue that each of us should be presumed by law to want to be an organ donor—increasing the organ supply—but not the method.  Known as “presumed consent,” these laws assume silence means consent, making each of us potential . . . . Continue Reading »

I like Washington Postcolumnist Michael Gerson.  He writes movingly today about preventing suicide.  From his column:Suicidology is a well-studied academic field. Suicide is most prevalent among the young and the old. It is associated with depression, feelings of hopelessness, substance . . . . Continue Reading »

I have a piece in today’s NRO that tees off on Switzerland’s upcoming vote to give animals a legal right to a lawyer in abuse cases.  But as I point out in A Rat is a Pig,etc., granting animals standing may be the most desired goal of the animal rights movement.  From my . . . . Continue Reading »

Thanks to suicide tourism and the Debbie Purdy case, the office of the public prosecutor for England and Wales has published final guidelines telling would be suicide assisters when they are more or less likely to face prosecution.  The document strongly denies that it is decriminalizing . . . . Continue Reading »

I have often criticized politicized science here at SHS, that is, people who promote their ideology or beliefs in the guise of objective science.  But I have high regard for science as a field and scientists as professionals.  That is why it is very disheartening that the entirely . . . . Continue Reading »

The idea that we can quit drilling fossil fuels and go “green” within the next few years, or the planet is DOOMED!, has always seemed a fantasy to me.  Even if we actually faced a crisis—rather, than as I suspect, at worse, a problem—if it were that easy to go green it . . . . Continue Reading »

It’s been all quiet on the Al Gore front recently, as Climategate and the falsehoods in the IPCC report undermined the credibility of global warming hysteria—that is, the attempt to panic us into dismantling our economies, radically redistributing wealth, and empowering unelected . . . . Continue Reading »

Humane Watch has raved about my new book. Not surprising, you might say, since a blog dedicated to being a watchdog over the stealth animal rights organization, the Humane Society of the United States, is hardly likely to turn thumbs down. But still: If I had gotten it wrong, the writers of the blog . . . . Continue Reading »

I have two national radio shows scheduled next week for your listening pleasure.  The first is Dennis Miller on Monday, March 1, at 8:33 AM Pacific Time. (The program may air at a different time where you live.  Here’s the live link.) This will be my first time on Miller’s . . . . Continue Reading »

Joseph Bottum made the point here the other day , commenting on the tragedy in which a killer whale drowned one of his trainers, that humans have no moral claim to make against animals that would require them to respect our lives and bodily integrity. How can it be denied? That we have no rights . . . . Continue Reading »