Wesley J. Smith

So we have the Great Ape Project, passed in Spain, that says humans and gorillas are part of a “community of equals,” and that none can be “tortured,” e.g., used in medical experiments.  In this country, we have legislati0n pending that would outlaw all medical . . . . Continue Reading »

I have warned about a coup de culture that is seeking to supplant human exceptionalism with utilitarianism, hedonism, and radical environmentalism, as the foundations of societal mores and law.  In that regard, I have written here and elsewhere about how Cass Sunstein, President Obama’s . . . . Continue Reading »

This is unbelievable: A Scot newspaper, reporting on the Debbie Purdy case, states that the Lords gave Purdy’s husband permission to take his wife to Switzerland for suicide.  From the story:The law prohibiting assisted suicide is set to be clarified after a woman with multiple sclerosis . . . . Continue Reading »

Slate’s Will Saletan has an essay in today’s New York Times Book Review, and it is of a species that always drives me a little around the corner.  He writes that our organs will soon either be viewed as a commodity or an asset of the commons, depending on whether we go . . . . Continue Reading »

This isn’t about the legality of abortion, but whether they should be paid for on the public’s dime. Right now, it isn’t—not even under Medicaid. But if the Dems have their way, abortion will be covered by the “public” insurance “option”—and . . . . Continue Reading »

The controvers over the end of life counseling section of the House health care reform bill has raised fears that such counseling could become persuasion to refuse care—particularly since the point of the agenda is to cut costs.  Over at Secondhand Smoke , I illustrate the potential . . . . Continue Reading »

The Medicare “mandatory counseling” controversy in the Obamacare debate laid bare a realistic fear that compensated counseling under Medicare could easily become subtle (or not so subtle) persuasion to refuse treatment—particularly since the primary point of the clause is to cut . . . . Continue Reading »

The rush to pass health care reform has been slowed by mostly just criticisms of an overly ambitious, almost incomprehensible bill, that could well lead to health care rationing as it also breaks the bank.  When they thought they could shove this boondoggle down out throats with little . . . . Continue Reading »

I have no idea how this works, but Secondhand Smoke (and the other First Things blogs) are now available on Amazon’s Kindle.  I guess for the very modest price Amazon charges, it is downloaded to the device so you can read it when you are at the beach.  In any event, here is the . . . . Continue Reading »

Imagine if President Bush had appointed as a high adviser, a man who had once advocated eugenic forced abortion and the sterilization of people in developing countries.  Congress would have held angry hearings!  The press would have been at his house every morning demanding answers!  . . . . Continue Reading »