Wesley J. Smith

Belgium legalized euthanasia a few years ago, and has already descended into infanticide. Now euthanasia proponents in the parliament want to legally force hospitals to carry out euthanasia in their facilities even if the patient’s own doctor refuses. From the story:The Flemish liberals do not . . . . Continue Reading »

Baby Emilio Gonzales will continue to receive life-sustaining treatment, at least until May 8, as the hearing to obtain a permanent injunction against the imposition of a futile care withdrawal of treatment has been . . . . Continue Reading »

Given the heat and extent of the public debate, it is tempting to view cloning and stem cell research as the be all and end all of biotechnology. But so much is happening that is not deeply ethically contentious. (Yes, Yes: Scientists could find a cure for cancer and a few would complain that . . . . Continue Reading »

Back at the first of the year, I peered into my obviously on-the-fritz crystal ball and predicted that Justice Kennedy would reverse his earlier position and vote to strike down the federal partial birth (intact dilation and extraction, or D & X) ban. Boy, was I wrong. Not only did he not change his . . . . Continue Reading »

This is really a bad idea: A Missouri legislator named Dr. Rob Schaaf wants the state to stop buying and distributing important vaccines that are crucial to maintaining the health of children because they were derived from the cells of aborted fetuses. But how is that any different from harvesting . . . . Continue Reading »

It is a continuing source of astonishment and concern to me that so many “scientists” so fervently wish to knock human beings off of the pedestal of exceptionalism, and transform us into merely another animal in the forest, just one of the fauna, if you will. I bring this up because of . . . . Continue Reading »

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine is again having trouble. It’s president and chief scientific officer, Zach Hall, has resigned for health reasons, while at the same time, its head consultant on funding construction projects has also quit. Beyond these personnel issues, there . . . . Continue Reading »

There is a proposal in Russia to permit euthanasia. One opponent. a doctor and member of the Duma, warns that legalizing euthanasia would be a way of “seizing organs:” From the story:If a law allowing euthanasia appears in Russia, the risk of criminal seizure of human organs sharply . . . . Continue Reading »

One of the most momentous decisions in medicine is the “do not resuscitate” order, or DNR. This doesn’t mean no treatment, nor does it mean no life-sustaining treatment. It means that if a patient suffers cardiac arrest, no CPR will be administered.Because DNR’s basically . . . . Continue Reading »

Should doctors or others be permitted to euthanize babies born with disabilities or assist the suicides of suffering people who want to die? During the first forty years of the twentieth century, fueled by the eugenics movement, the question was very much on the table. Then the Holocaust, in which . . . . Continue Reading »