Wesley J. Smith

My partially tongue in cheek headline is in reaction to a story—yet again from Brave New Britain—of embryo screening employed to prevent a child from being born who might contract adult onset cancer—in this case, of the breast. Look how fast we have gone from using genetic . . . . Continue Reading »

This poll, published by the Michigan Catholic Conference, asked 500 likely voters in Michigan, their views on human cloning. The results were an overwhelming repudiation of cloning human life.Not so fast, some might say. It is, after all, a Catholic-sponsored poll. But I believe the results are a . . . . Continue Reading »

Bone marrow stem cells have apparently been helping to repair injuries in horses for some time. They are about to be tried in humans now. From the Reuters story in the Washington Post (good for it):Stem cell therapy may be controversial in human medicine but in the world of horse racing it is . . . . Continue Reading »

This strong editorial written by mainstream bioethicist Jonathan Moreno and colleagues at the well-funded and very left-leaning think tank, Center for American Progress, call for the overturning of President Bush’s funding restrictions, giving several reasons for their call. The authors grouse . . . . Continue Reading »

The Development Concepts and Doctrine Center, an independent think tank within the UK Department of Defense, has issued a paper predicting the challenges of the future. It is wide ranging, dealing with climate change, anti-Americanism in the context of a rising multi-polar world, and the impact of . . . . Continue Reading »

The Swiss assisted suicide group that calls itself Dignitas—which helps kill you for a fee—has agreed to assist the suicide of a man who became quadriplegic in a hate crime. The man is depressed and wants to die—which ironically, would finish the job that the neo Nazis started when . . . . Continue Reading »

Assisted suicide advocates like to use that sound bite of all sound bites: “Choice.” But there are three other “C-words” I like to focus on too: Context, consequences, and compassion—in the true root meaning of that wonderful word, which means to “suffer . . . . Continue Reading »

Two men needed kidneys. Their respective wives matched the other. Deal struck: Wife one gives a kidney to husband two, and wife two gives a kidney to husband one. We’ve discussed this kind of organ bartering before. I just hope that all four do . . . . Continue Reading »

Talk about human reductionism and diminishing the reality of a profound evil: The following quote is from poet Nikki Giovanni, at the memorial service for the murdered at Virginia Tech:We are Virginia Tech. We are sad today and we will be sad for quite awhile. WE are not moving on, we are embracing . . . . Continue Reading »

There are many proposals to overcome the organ shortage. One well-meaning but misguided suggestion is “presumed consent,” under which each of us would be presumed to want our organs donated unless we explicitly direct otherwise. In other words, rather than signing an organ donor consent . . . . Continue Reading »