Wesley J. Smith

The “cash for clunkers” program, which paid $4500 to consumers who traded in their old gas guzzlers for more fuel efficient vehicles, has crashed and burned in less than a week.  From the story:Less than four days after launching a popular cash-for-clunkers program, the Obama . . . . Continue Reading »

I have now had the opportunity to read the Debbie Purdy court ruling. First, it is clear that it did not create a right to assisted suicide. From the judgment:26.  It must be emphasised at the outset that it is no part of our function to change the law in order to decriminalise assisted . . . . Continue Reading »

I have been doing a little reading about Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the head bioethicist at the NIH and brother of the president’s chief of staff.  He is a supporter of health care rationing, which is relevant to the current health care debate.  In a Lancet article earlier this year, he . . . . Continue Reading »

Debbie Purdy, who has multiple sclerosis—which is not generally a terminal illness—won a minor high court ruling today requiring the prosecutor to inform the public when those who facilitate suicide tourism, will be prosecuted. From the story:Terminally ill [Me: No she’s not] Miss . . . . Continue Reading »

So, here’s the problem: We have need for health care reform to permit greater portability of policies, make policies more affordable, and help people find insurance who have preexisting conditions. But instead of fixing the actual problems in the current generally well working system, . . . . Continue Reading »

File this under the radical company Obama keeps. Decades before Cass Sunstein, the nominated regulations czar, proposed that animals be allowed to sue their owners , the science adviser supported trees being given legal standing to sue in order to improve the environment!  More over at . . . . Continue Reading »

Just when you thought that the high advisers to President Obama couldn’t get any more radical. Consider: Cass Sunstein, his nominated regulations czar, wants animals to be able to sue their owners and has asserted that the lives of elderly people should be given less value in government . . . . Continue Reading »

This is the same kind of injury, successfully treated in mice, that gained Geron an FDA license to use potentially dangerous embryonic stem cells to treat spinal cord injury in human trials. Only these scientists apparently got a similar result as Geron did using blue food dye!  From the . . . . Continue Reading »

For nearly two weeks, the Obama health care plan has been mired in a controversy over supposed mandatory counseling requirements for seniors about end-of-life care.  Is it true?  Hard to tell when on page 424, the section in question begins: (a) MEDICARE.—17 (1) IN . . . . Continue Reading »

It was nearly two weeks ago  (July 16)  Betsy McCaughey first charged on the Fred Thompson radio program (reported here on July 18) that the House health care reform bill required “mandatory counseling,” about end of life treatment options.  Was the charge true?  I . . . . Continue Reading »