Wesley J. Smith

Some of you might have noticed that the comments have disappeared again.  This is a temporary condition, I am assured. I have also been told that the comments from the old site of SHS will soon also be imported.  Thanks again for your . . . . Continue Reading »

Our changeover is almost complete.  SHS can still be accessed at www.wesleyjsmith.com.  Soon the redirect will work faster. But for those who want to link it directly, the new URL is http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke . Muchas gracias. Merci. Danke. Much . . . . Continue Reading »

The Dutch don’t enforce their “protective” euthanasia guidelines in any meaningful way if the doctor does the killing. But if a non physician assists a suicide, there will be a (minor) consequence. Several years ago, for example, a nurse assisted a suicide and received a two month . . . . Continue Reading »

Assisted suicide advocacy, like effective advertising, creates a demand where it might not have existed before. That seems to be happening in the UK, where 800 people are reportedly on a waiting list to receive assisted suicide at the hands of Swiss suicide clinics. Check out Secondhand Smoke for . . . . Continue Reading »

If all goes as planned—which of course is never a sure thing—this week should see a material improvement in the bugs in the system. I am particularly eager for commenting to be fixed so that the permalink doesn’t have to be opened.Re comments: I have to approve all comments now, . . . . Continue Reading »

Dutch euthanasia cases have risen 10% in the last year. From the story:A total of 2,331 people made official requests for help with killing themselves under euthanasia legislation last year, a 10% increase on 2007, Nos tv reports on Friday.The figure comes from the annual report published by the . . . . Continue Reading »

The inexcusable murder of George Tiller, the controversial Kansas doctor who performed late term abortions, got me to thinking about one of my biggest heroes, the great abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. Pro lifers believe that their cause is a great civil rights issue. Abolition was no less so. . . . . Continue Reading »

There is a proposal to explicitly legalize “suicide tourism” in the House of Lords. Check out Secondhand Smoke for more details . . . . . Continue Reading »

Assisted suicide advocates are attempting to bootstrap onto legislation that would outlaw Internet suicide predation, a clause explicitly permitting suicide tourism. Here’s the proposed amendment—look for “Exceptions to Offence of Assisted Suicide”: Notwithstanding sections . . . . Continue Reading »

Diane Coleman and Steve Drake from Not Dead Yet are speaking. Coleman discussed the problems people with disabilities face in the health care context.Drake then took the microphone and told a touching story about his birth:The doctor told my parents that the good news was 100-1 that I would not . . . . Continue Reading »