Wesley J. Smith

Secondhand Smokette and I went to a Barnes and Noble this morning and I stumbled upon a new book: Larry’s Kidney: Being the True Story of How I Found Myself in China with My Black Sheep Cousin and His Mail-Order Bride, Skirting the Law to Get Him a Transplant—and Save His Life, by Daniel . . . . Continue Reading »

There is nothing these days that can ever be safely considered to be permanently beyond the pale, unthinkable, flat-out undoable—and that apparently includes cutting off healthy limbs of patients with BIID.When I first heard of body integrity identity disorder—BIID—in which . . . . Continue Reading »

The first Washington State legal assisted suicide has happened. C and C, of course, promptly issued a press release. From the story: The woman, Linda Fleming, 66, of Sequim, Wash., on the Olympic Peninsula, died Thursday evening after taking lethal medication prescribed by a doctor under the law, . . . . Continue Reading »

In Louisiana, a nurse who was demoted for refusing to participate in dispensing the morning after pill due to religious objections, has won the right from the state supreme court to sue her former employer for religious discrimination. From the story:The Louisiana Supreme Court has declined to hear . . . . Continue Reading »

More proof—as if it were really needed—that the assisted suicide movement believes in death on demand for any non transitory physical or mental condition perceived by the suicidal person as causing unbearable suffering. From the bill (C-384):(7)Despite anything in this section, a medical . . . . Continue Reading »

Sigh. We have repeatedly discussed the sloppy language used by media to discuss crucial moral issues—which is important because of the power of lexicon to materially impact our views. Now, the BBC is the latest media outlet to misuse the term “brain death,” to apply to a South . . . . Continue Reading »

Gallup has issued its annual poll on what Americans think are morally appropriate behaviors, some of which deal directly with the issues about which we grapple here at SHS, and some of which don’t. My last post on the poll covered issues dealing with the use of animals. Now, we turn to . . . . Continue Reading »

Human exceptionalism is not only about human rights, but also human duties, including never using human beings as mere objects and the need to treat animals properly and humanely. The new Gallup Poll about what Americans consider morally acceptable behavior is interesting in both regards, and thus . . . . Continue Reading »

The Oklahoma Legislature having voted unanimously to outlaw all human cloning—still no word on what the governor will do with the bill—state bureaucrats are now putting $5.5 million into adult stem cell research over the next five years. From the story: The Tobacco Settlement Endowment . . . . Continue Reading »

In a move geared to permit exploitation of the world’s most destitute people, the FDA has apparently decided to permit drug companies to conduct human subjects research overseas in ways that are barred under pertinent domestic ethical rules and guidelines. From the story : [T]rials performed . . . . Continue Reading »