Wesley J. Smith

Good grief!  A Maryland state legislator has filed a bill that would allow surrogate decision makers to “donate” kidneys and liver lobes.  From HB 449:THIS SUBSECTION APPLIES ONLY TO A PATIENT WHO HAS  BEEN CERTIFIED UNDER § 5–606(B) OF THIS SUBTITLE TO BE IN A . . . . Continue Reading »

Competition is good.  It is good in the economy. It is good in politics.  It is good in philosophy.  And it is good in global warming science because it brings a fuller and more complete picture of what may or may not be going on.Global Warming Hysterics tried—and still flail . . . . Continue Reading »

Well, this is a pleasant surprise. Another ruling has come down in the very litigated Stormans v. Selecky case, again from the trial court.This is the case in which a pharmacy refused to dispense the Plan B contraception/abortifacient pill because it violated the owners’ religious beliefs. . . . . Continue Reading »

Cases justifying euthanasia are spreading like wildfire in the Netherlands, to the point that visual impairment can become the primary reason to kill.  The latest report from the Netherlands describes an elderly woman who was euthanized over macular degeneration and other often experienced . . . . Continue Reading »

The latest report from the Netherlands on euthanasia practice includes a case study of a woman killed by her psychiatrist solely due to mental illness, specifically, depression.  From the Regional Committees Annual Report 2010:More than four years before the patient died she was diagnosed with . . . . Continue Reading »

I have received some comment from correspondents claiming to be Dutch and reporters, contesting my article yesterday that describes some of the Dutch euthanasia horrors.  They don’t claim I am wrong that about 1% of Dutch deaths are “termination without request or . . . . Continue Reading »

Oh good grief. A book reviewer named Justin Moss, discussing a book called Ethics and Animals, completely misstates the definition of human exceptionalism. From the Metapsychology blog:In the first chapter, Gruen identifies and analyzes a philosophical view she refers to as “human . . . . Continue Reading »

Sigh. I like it when prominent politicians criticize euthanasia. But I wish they would be more careful with their words because when they get the details wrong, it can do more harm than good.  Such might have been the case with Rick Santorum in an interview with James Dobson.  He told the . . . . Continue Reading »

This is so unsurprising.  Much was made a bit ago that the Heartland Institute receives donations to fight global warming alarmism.  Well, it turns out that the supposed proof came from deceptively obtained papers and one alleged forgery.  The guilty party for the . . . . Continue Reading »

Another in an endless series of language kerfuffles has broken out, this time over using the common phrase ”chink in the armor” in a sentence involving a Chinese basketball player.  As is often the case, I think this is an example of people of a certain political stripe reading . . . . Continue Reading »