Human Exceptionalism

IT HAS BEEN REPEATED so often that it is now a mantra: “Embryonic stem cells offer the most promise for finding cures” for degenerative diseases and conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injury. But saying something ten thousand times doesn’t make it true. Indeed, the embryonic stem cell mantra has yet to be demonstrated scientifically. More than that, Read More ›

A Concise History of Euthanasia by Ian Dowbiggin. Rowan and Littlefield, 176 pages, $22.95 To read Ian Dowbiggins’s A Concise History of Euthanasia is to learn that in more than a century of advocacy for euthanasia, the arguments have barely changed at all. The drive to legalize killing as an acceptable answer to the problems associated with human suffering is a relatively Read More ›

Wesley J. Smith was invited to the West Wing yesterday to witness the President’s veto of the embryonic stem cell bill. Smith, a Discovery senior fellow on bioethics issues, writes frequently for various magazines and newspapers, including The Weekly Standard and National Review Online, is promoting the theme of the unique importance of human life—of “human exceptionalism”. People are not like Read More ›

The Party of DeathThe Democrats, the Media, the Courts, and the Disregard for Human Lifeby Ramesh PonnuruRegnery, 320 pp., $27.95 RAMESH PONNURU’S READERS already know that he is a political writer of considerable intelligence and skill. Now, in his first book, he demonstrates the talent to become an author of considerable influence. His prose is clear and to the point, Read More ›

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW what it feels like to wander into a Salvador Dali painting, try attending a conference of transhumanists. Case in point: the symposium “Human Enhancement Technologies and Human Rights” hosted May 26-28 by the Stanford Law School. Transhumanism is a radical movement emanating from the universities that seeks to enhance human capacities via technology. The ultimate Read More ›

Testimony of Wesley J. Smith in Opposition to Legislation of Physician-Assisted Suicide in California (AB 651)Before the Senate Judiciary Committee “Informational Hearing,” June 20, 2006 Good afternoon. My name is Wesley J. Smith. I am an author and consumer advocate. I am a Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute, an attorney and consultant for the International Task Force on Euthanasia Read More ›

“I am an ape,” Pedro Pozas, secretary-general of the Spanish Great Ape Project, declared recently. No, Pozas wasn’t commenting on his appearance. Rather, he was boosting Spanish legislation that would grant human-type rights to apes. Animals can’t comprehend the concept of rights, so why grant them such entitlements? Supporters of the legislation point to our close genetic relationship with chimpanzees, Read More ›

Editor’s Note: The following article appears in the June/July Edition of First Things. Is science really at war with religion? Pamela Winnick’s answer is a firm and worried yes. And in A Jealous God she demonstrates that this war threatens not only religion but science as well—with the threat coming from the very people who perceive themselves to be science’s Read More ›

Original Article Dr. Ben Rich of the University of California, Davis, testifies in favor of an assisted suicide bill before the state Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. Wesley J. Smith, a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute who opposes the bill, sits to Rich’s left. The bill’s co-author, Assemblywoman Patty Berg, D-Eureka, can be seen in the background. Sacramento Bee/Anne Read More ›

This article, published by MonstersandCritics.com, mentions Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Wesley Smith: Wesley J. Smith, a Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute, a non-partisan think tank, echoed reports of high rates of euthanasia deaths in the Netherlands, and also noted that the country allows the euthanizing of the clinically depressed and infants with birth defects.

Lawyer, author, and bioethicist Wesley J. Smith testified May 25th to the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights hearing on “The Consequences of Legalized Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia”. In his testimony, Smith told the Senators “that there is a proper public policy role for the federal government against assisted suicide, such Read More ›

Click here to read the testimony of Wesley J. Smith, JD, before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Hearing: May 23rd, in Support of Strengthening the Law Against “Animal Rights” Terrorism Terrorism takes many forms. Recently, animal-rights terrorists have unleashed an organized campaign of violence and intimidation against animal industries and their service companies—such as banks, Read More ›