October 6, 2007
Transhumanism Comics
“Dr. Rat’s Brain Augmentation Surgery,” runs into a hitch.
Wesley J. Smith
Posts by Wesley J. Smith:
October 4, 2007
Canada Sending Mothers to US to Give Birth
I used to support a single payer plan for national health insurance. Now, I am very dubious. Here’s one reason from Canada. From the story: A problem in Canada’s hospitals is sending scores of pregnant women south of the border … Read More
October 4, 2007
Smith on the Air Responding to Ron Reagan Pro Cloning Speech
This old show of Issues Etc. Radio Program just became available on MP 3. In it, I respond to Ron Reagan’s 2004 speech to the Democratic National Convention. I point out that RR played a big game of bait and … Read More
October 2, 2007
“Hippocratic Oath Adapts”
Nearly two years ago, I wrote a series of posts (here, here, here, and here) and a column (“Harm Done,” NRO) about the ongoing deconstruction of the Hippocratic Oath and its devolution into meaningless pabulum in a society that increasingly … Read More
October 1, 2007
“Don’t Tase Me, Bro” Delays Kevorkian Speech
The altercation at a John Kerry speech resulting in the now world famous plea, “Don’t tase me, Bro,” has led to a delay in Kevorkian’s $50,000 speech from October to January. Apparently the university wants to improve security. Since the … Read More
October 1, 2007
Anti-Humanism Reaching the Highest Intellectual Levels
I am striving to obtain the referenced Journal of Medical Ethics articles, but the abstracts alone illustrate how anti-human and human extinction advocacy is moving from the fringe into the intellectual mainstream. This article is in response to a book … Read More
October 1, 2007
Making Assisted Suicide Seductive
The media love stories such as this one in the Oregonian, byline Don Colburn; of the “fiercely independent” man or woman who decides the time has come to die through assisted suicide. From the story: Lovelle Svart woke up Friday … Read More
October 1, 2007
More on Battin “No Slippery Slope” Study
I blogged a few days ago about the propaganda piece, er study, proclaiming no slippery slope with regard to assisted suicide. Well, here is the PDF of the report itself. But I note the following, which seems odd for a … Read More
September 30, 2007
A Warning Too Little and Too Late: Watch Out for Stem Cell “Therapeutic Misperception”
File this in the “talk about Chutzpah!” folder: Two Stanford bioethicists, Mildred Cho and David Magnus, have written a column in Nature Reports Stem Cells bemoaning the hype and exaggeration that may have led people to have unreasonable expectations for … Read More
September 29, 2007
Good Anti Assisted Suicide Column by Disability Rights Activists
Next year, Washington voters may decide whether to legalize assisted suicide. Already, the argument has begun. Here’s a good piece published in the Olympian by Joelle Brouner, a member of paper’s Diversity Panel and a disability rights activist, arguing why … Read More
September 27, 2007
New Human Trial With Adult Stem Cells to Treat MS in the UK
The media will continue to squawk about how embryonic stem cells may years from now treat MS, but adult stem cells are already moving forward into human trials in the UK. (As I previously reported, adult stem cells have stopped … Read More
September 27, 2007
Battin Assisted Suicide Report Demonstrates the Vapidity of “Scientific Studies”
The “scientific study” has become the modern-day equivalent to Biblical scripture: They can be made to support whatever result the “studier” desires. Case in point: A just released study by Margarette P. Battin of the University of Utah, claiming that … Read More
September 26, 2007
German Neighors Don’t Like Assisted Suicide Apartments Either
Dignitas, the assisted suicide facilitating organization from Switzerland is extending its tentacles into Germany. Just as the Swiss neighbors of the group’s suicide safe house objected to all of the corpses being carried out, so too now, have Germans: ZURICH … Read More
September 25, 2007
Adult Stem Cells May Prevent Need for Liver Transplants
Here we go again: Adult stem cells moving forward faster than we could have hoped only a few years ago. This time it is liver disease: Rats were injected with their own bone marrow stem cells helping to repair their … Read More
September 25, 2007
Not Writiing About Vatican Food and Fluids Directive
I have been asked whether I will comment on the Vatican’s directive regarding the application of tube-supplied food and fluids to those with a diagnosis of persistent vegetative state. I will not. That is a sectarian matter about which I … Read More
September 24, 2007
Clueless on Cloning
The New York “all the news we see fit to print” Times has a clueless editorial out today about human/animal hybrid cloning. Here are a few tidbits: Stem cell research in the United States has been hobbled for years by … Read More
September 22, 2007
More Cloning Hype from Ian Wilmut
The media can’t get enough of this man’s pontificating, but they don’t look at his history to see that what he says should be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism. For example, Wilmut wrote in his book The Second … Read More
September 21, 2007
Harris Poll and Embryonic Stem Cell Research
The Harris Poll I referenced in the last post also shows wide support for embryonic stem cell research, 57-19 percent. I think the support is about right, but the opposition is too low. The reason for this (in my view) … Read More
September 21, 2007
New Harris Poll Not Good News For Assisted Suicide Supporters
A new poll has just come out from Harris demonstratingas I suspected–based on all of the the non mass demonstrations, the non mass letter writing campaigns, and the near complete absence of politicians running for office on the issue–assisted suicide … Read More
September 20, 2007
Adult Stem Cells in the News
Whilst I have been sojourning in the land of incredible pasta, a lot has been happening on the adult stem cell front. In order to catch up, I’ll just include a few links and let those of you who are … Read More
September 20, 2007
A Not So New Kind of Suicide Hotline
Not to prevent suicide, but to help you learn how to do the deed: A new how-to-commit-suicide hot line, er “counseling” service brought to you from the zealots at Compassion and Choices (formerly Hemlock Society). Typically in efforts such as … Read More
August 30, 2007
Peter Singer: Infanticide, Yes; Kangaroo Cull, No
Princeton bioethicist Peter Singer is famous for two primary reasons: First, he jump started the animal rights/liberation movement with his 1975 book Animal Liberation. Second, he is the world’s foremost proponent of the legitimacy of infanticide. Thus, writing on page … Read More
August 29, 2007
“Wrong” Baby Aborted
The moral implications of this story are profound and complex. An Italian couple was pregnant with twins. One of the fetuses tested positive for Down syndrome. A eugenic abortion was performed. The baby without Down was destroyed. The Down child … Read More
August 27, 2007
Gallup Poll: Suicide, Human Cloning Immoral, Stem Cell Research, Animal Testing Moral
A recent Gallup Poll rated the views of the American people on key moral issues. Here are the results regarding issues of concern here at SHS. The first number reflects “Morally Acceptable,” the second “Morally Wrong:” – Medical research using … Read More
August 27, 2007
Rough Seas Continue at the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Another big resignation at the CIRM. This time, the head science officer. From the story: The top scientific officer at California’s stem cell agency has resigned, effective Oct. 31. Arlene Chiu, interim chief scientific officer since April, made the announcement … Read More
