Wesley J. Smith

In this edition of my podcast What It Means to be Human, I return to Switzerland’s Constitution declaring plant “dignity,” and what that all means according to a government-appointed ethics committee. It takes really big brained people to worry about the “decapitation” . . . . Continue Reading »

Another university is paying Jack Kevorkian to speak, and once again the media—in this case the Miami Herald—can’t even report the basic facts about him correctly. From the story, byline Julie Levin: Dr. Jack Kevorkian will speak from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Nova Southeastern . . . . Continue Reading »

A few weeks ago, I posted about bitter complaints being made by scientists in Brave New Britain that the government had not yet funded the creation of human/animal hybrid cloned embryos. The scientists charged that morality might have played a part in the non funding—a terrible thought that . . . . Continue Reading »

Gary Francione, who argues that to be authentic all animal rights believers must be vegan and lead by example (I agree with him on this), is unhappy. He worries that the animal rights movement is falling backwards because of the “humane meat” campaigns that, in his mind, have made carne . . . . Continue Reading »

This is the second post on the review of SHS in the current American Journal of Bioethics. We have already highlighted the positives that Yale University bioethicist found with SHS, and now I would like to reply to his criticisms. Latham writes:To be clear: This [human exceptionalism] is a . . . . Continue Reading »

This blog has received a formal review by Yale University bioethicist Stephen R. Latham. I am most pleased that it is a mixed review with some very nice compliments as well as pointed criticisms, and I very much appreciate Latham’s even handedness. (When Culture of Death came out, I recall one . . . . Continue Reading »

I first posted this disability rights protest song about euthanasia a few years ago. Given the flow of events, and the many new SHSers who might not have seen it, I decided it was worth repeating. . . . . Continue Reading »

China’s notorious one child policy has led to eugenics, sex selection abortion, female infanticide, and other horrors. Now, we are being pushed in that same direction in the West by radical environmentalists in the name of going Green. From the story:COUPLES who have more than two children are . . . . Continue Reading »

The news wires are buzzing about Nadya Suleman, the woman who had eight babies through IVF. Questions are being raised about the ethics of the case, both because of her circumstances—she already has six children—and the number of children born. From the story: Fertility experts have . . . . Continue Reading »

One of the purposes of professional medical organizations is to stand up for proper ethical policies and laws. Lately, we have seen too many such organizations going “neutral,” on assisted suicide. How an organization dedicated to defending doctors and patients can be indifferent to one . . . . Continue Reading »