April 17, 2007
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, … Read More
April 17, 2007
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 … Read More
April 16, 2007
We hear from some, such as Dr. Sherwin Nuland, that what a doctor does or does not do at the bedside should be determined by the individual practioner’s personal conscience. This usually cuts from the side of permitting acts such … Read More
April 16, 2007
Now that Big Biotech has won elections in CA and MO, and the Bush funding policy is on the ropes, Big Biotech and their boosters in the media are changing their stories. Whereas before, it was about direct CURES! CURES! … Read More
April 16, 2007
I have a book review of The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia posted on today’s First Things blog. The book is dry, but very good in its discussion of the legal issues, and not bad in explaining philosophical perspectives. … Read More
April 14, 2007
With the intrepid help of the Discovery Institute, I have just begun a new one minute radio commentary called BioScience Views, that is beginning to get around. We haven’t created a dedicated Web page for it yet, but if you … Read More
April 13, 2007
The other day, the Sacramento Bee editorialized in favor of assisted suicide. Now, it runs this story about how state investigators are inadequately auditing nursing homes and busting unsafe operators. Here’s the story: The California Department of Health Services is … Read More
April 12, 2007
So, now researchers believe they can make sperm from a woman’s bone marrow stem cells. And in this way, a woman may one day father a child. From the story in the Independent: Scientists are seeking ethical permission to produce … Read More
April 12, 2007
Stock prices for embryonic stem cell research companies took a hit when the U.S. Senate failed to pass a bill to overturn President Bush’s stem cell funding policy by a veto proof margin. Worcester, MA’s, Advanced Cell Technology–which opened an … Read More
April 12, 2007
It took the Dutch about 20 years to get to the point from accepting euthanasia to countenancing infanticide. It has only taken the Belgians a few years to jump off the same vertical moral cliff. Not unexpectedly–and this isn’t the … Read More
April 12, 2007
This study demonstrates an important point: Hospice care can extend life because, relieved of much suffering by proper care, patients can actually live longer than if they were not receiving such treatment. From the story: This [the study’s results] should … Read More
April 12, 2007
This kind of story sends a chill. Doctors at a Fresno hospital wrongly declared a patient to be dead by neurological criteria (a.k.a. brain death) when he wasn’t actually dead, resulting in a near harvesting of organs from a living … Read More
April 11, 2007
Here is the statement issued today by the White House about the passage of Senate Bills 5 (overturn Bush funding policy) and 30 (fund “alternative” approaches). Agree or disagree with the Bush policy, I think this point made by the … Read More
April 11, 2007
S. 5, the bill to overturn President Bush’s embryonic stem cell funding policy passed, one vote (if everyone had showed up) short of a veto override margin. It also does not have enough votes in the House for an override, … Read More
April 11, 2007
I checked the New York Times to see if they reported the great news that human diabetes patients have been effectively treated for their disease with adult stem cells. The Gray Lady only carried a muted report by the AP. … Read More
April 11, 2007
Leon Kass’s piece in Commentary, about which I posted earlier, also contains some very good prose about a philosophical approach to human exceptionalism. He writes: It is indubitably clear, even to atheists, that we human beings have them [attributes of … Read More
April 11, 2007
I believe Leon Kass to be one of our most profound and wise public intellectuals. He comes through again in the current edition of Commentary magazine (no link available) in an article entitled “Science, Religion, and the Human Future.” Much … Read More
April 11, 2007
I have long believed that futile care theory will be the next big political battle in bioethics. It is generally ignored by the media–which on one level is understandable because the media are news driven–but on the other hand is … Read More
April 10, 2007
Patients’ own blood stem cells combined with immune suppression have provided effective treatment of Type 1 diabetes in human patients, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. From the report: During a 7- to … Read More
April 10, 2007
China has apparently issued regulations to stop the purchase and sale of human organs. Good. But based on China’s history in these matters, count me as a skeptic that it will either be enforced or do any good.
April 10, 2007
Under the terms of Texas law, hospital ethics committees have the right to unilaterally vote to refuse wanted life-sustaining treatment. Known as “futile care theory” or “medical futility” or “inappropriate care,” such refusals are permitted to be made on quality … Read More
April 9, 2007
According to this poll, published by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).
April 9, 2007
We hear a lot of sturm and drang that President Bush is “anti-science” because of his opposition to human cloning and full federal funding of destroying embryos for ESCR. But these positions don’t make the President anti-science: That dispute is … Read More
April 8, 2007
“Kill the bill, not the ill!” was the demonstration chant a few years ago against a bill to legalize assisted suicide in California. Now, like a virus that won’t go away, assisted suicide advocates are once again trying to transform … Read More
April 7, 2007
It stuns me sometimes how utterly ignorant media can be about human cloning and embryonic stem cell research. Not only does ignorance drive bad public policies, but it can be harmful. The Joplin Globe committed both journalistic sins in this … Read More
