Wesley J. Smith

I attended President Bush’s stem cell speech yesterday, and I have to say, it was a real thrill as an American to be invited to the White House to hear the President of the United States give a major policy address.Taking the stars out of my eyes, as promised, here is my impression of the day: . . . . Continue Reading »

David Prentice has done more than anyone else I know to educate the public and policy makers about the potential benefits of adult stem cells. He is a co-founder of Do No Harm, which, among other things, posts the results of peer reviewed studies using non embryonic sources of stem cells. DNH has . . . . Continue Reading »

Richard Doerflinger sure can write fast. I spoke to him last night when I got off the plane at Dulles and he informed me that the “alternative sources” legislation had been scuttled by a legislative maneuver by the “embryo or nothing” (my term) stem cell zealots, . . . . Continue Reading »

The recent attack on the potential for adult stem cells to provide tremendous benefit and efficacious regenerative medical treatments is shameful. Apparently the truth about ASCs has filtered through the media information blockade to the American people. So, rather than admit the amazing progress . . . . Continue Reading »

Duh! Talk about a classic non story. Why a study was needed to determine this obvious point is beyond me. The “researchers” found that identical twins (true clones) feel like individuals and hence, people with SCNT cloning would, too. I could have told them that without spending the . . . . Continue Reading »

In what can only be described as a tantrum thrown because the Senate did not approve the ESCR funding bill by a veto proof margin, the chief supporters of federal funding of ESCR have thrown a procedural monkey wrench into the “alternative sources” bill. This makes no sense if they care . . . . Continue Reading »

I thought this would turn out to be an urban legend, but one doctor and two nurses have now been arrested for second degree murder, apparently arising out of their alleged intentional overdosing of patients in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. I am not ready to draw any larger lessons from this episode . . . . Continue Reading »

This story from the Daily Mail in the UK is a sobering reminder of the increasing tendency to use poor people as commodities, that is, as so many harvestable crops. The Mail’s story concerns the health costs too many poor women pay for selling their eggs so that prosperous infertile women can . . . . Continue Reading »

I have heard from people requesting that I post my thoughts about the upcoming Senate votes on funding embryonic stem cell research, funding “alternative sources” for deriving pluripotent stem cells, and the ban on “fetal farming.” So, here goes:The vote to increase funding . . . . Continue Reading »

I mentioned in my initial post about the Albany bioethics conference that Glenn McGee told me a representative from NDY had been invited to present in Albany. Stephen Drake begs to disagree. Here is his comment:“I have absolutely no idea what McGee is talking about when he said I was invited . . . . Continue Reading »