Wesley J. Smith

Another breakthrough was announced by Stanford scientists using induced pluripotent stem cells.  From the press release:Stanford University School of Medicine investigators have shown that iPS cells, viewed as a possible alternative to human embryonic stem cells, can mirror the defining defects . . . . Continue Reading »

Secondhand Smokette ran a column today referencing a local story in which a volunteer sperm donor has biologically contributed to the conception of (soon) 18 children in the area via low tech artificial insemination.  The result? The FDA wants to regulate private sperm . . . . Continue Reading »

Are they out of their minds?  What was the NIH thinking?  The USA funded research into a successful genetic engineering of a deadly strain of bird flu, and now the scientists want to publicly publish key details.  From the Independent story:A deadly strain of bird flu with the . . . . Continue Reading »

Several months ago I was contacted by the American Journal of Bioethics, inquiring whether I would be interested in writing a profile of a prominent person in the field. I said absolutely, and wrote about my good friend, the Stanford professor William Hurlbut, who served for nearly 8 years on the . . . . Continue Reading »

This is pretty shocking.  Apparently, some women have moved beyond piercing, tattoos, and extreme waxing to seeking ”cosmetic surgery” that removes the outer part the genitalia to increase sexual allure.  From an LA Times column,”Pornification of Private Parts: A New . . . . Continue Reading »

Bioethics has taken quite a ride since its inception circa the early 1970s.  Where once I think the ambition was to influence public policy, medical ethics, and court rulings toward a certain generally agreed upon direction, the field is now so ethically polyglot and diverse that it seems . . . . Continue Reading »

The NIH has determined it will restrict—not eliminate—federal funding of medical research on chimpanzees.  From the NYT story:The National Institutes of Health on Thursday suspended all new grants for biomedical and behavioral research on chimpanzees and accepted the first uniform . . . . Continue Reading »

Obamacarians told us that the more we learned about the law, the more it went into effect, the more popular it would be.  Wrong.  Rasumussen has consistently shown that about 55% of likely voters want it repealed.  Now the AP Poll reports that the law’s popularity is also . . . . Continue Reading »

I have a piece in the Daily Caller about protecting the conscience rights of medical professionals who wish to maintain traditional Hippocratic Values. First, I set up the context. From “Should Doctors be Forced to Kill?”  Fifty years ago, doctors would have been excoriated . . . . Continue Reading »

I was sorry to learn this morning that the great writer Christopher Hitchens—and I mean I wish I had half his talent and ability—has died. I believe he was the best crafter of the magazine essay of our times, with whom I agreed more than occassionally, . . . . Continue Reading »