February 2011

Biological Colonialism: Philippines New Health Secretary Won’t Loosen Organ Sales Protections

By Wesley J. Smith, J.D., Special Consultant to the CBC Biological colonialism — the named I coined for rich (usually) Westerners traveling to destitute countries to buy kidneys, rent uteri from “gestational carriers,” conduct unethical medical experimentation, etc. — has led some nations to outlaw non nationals from obtaining organ transplants and from organ selling. [...]

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Futile Care: Open Court is the Right Approach, Not Star Chamber Secrecy

By Wesley J. Smith, J.D., Special Consultant to the CBC A Minnesota futile care theory case illustrates why I believe that disputes over whether to continue wanted life sustaining treatment belong in court, not in secret and confidential bioethics committee meetings. From the story: Lana Barnes entered Hennepin County Probate Court Wednesday morning determined to [...]

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The Singularity Approacheth!

By Wesley J. Smith, J.D., Special Consultant to the CBC Oh good grief: As if there isn’t any real news in the world, Time carries a cover story about a very smart guy named Raymond Kurzweil, and his pursuit — financed by some very rich friends — of “the singularity,” when technology takes over everything, [...]

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Idaho Legislation to Make Assisted Suicide a Felony

By Wesley J. Smith, J.D., Special Consultant to the CBC Many anti assisted suicide advocates worry that Idaho is on the pro-doctor prescribed death target list for legalization, probably by test court case, since there is not a specific law prohibiting assisted suicide. A just filed bill, S 1070, seeks to change that. From the [...]

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CIRM Celebrates Funding Luxury Stem Cell Buildings As California Disintegrates

By Wesley J. Smith, J.D., Special Consultant to the CBC Front page story in the S. F. Chronicle on the great research building opening at UCSF for all kinds of stem cell research. Much was privately funded, which is great. But tens of millions for the fancy-dancy buildings was paid for by the California Institute [...]

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Oncologists Urge Greater Candor in Discussing Death With Terminally Ill Cancer Patients

By Wesley J. Smith, J.D., Special Consultant to the CBC The American Society of Clinical Oncology is urging its members to be more candid with their dying patients and to discuss end of life issues sooner. From the story: Patients don’t want to hear that they’re dying and doctors don’t want to tell them. But [...]

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Bone Marrow Adult Stem Cells Disappoint in Treating Heart Attack Injuries

By Wesley J. Smith, J.D., Special Consultant to the CBC Early human trials with adult stem cells extracted from bone marrow have not worked as well as hoped. From the story: So it was with high hopes that researchers transfused stem cells into patients suffering from heart failure — people whose hearts, weakened by heart [...]

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Eggsploitation Receives Another Endorsement

“Eggsploitation renders the medical risks of paid egg donation with care and truth in every detail and makes a thoroughly devastating case against the commodification of women and their eggs.” – Donald Landry, MD, PhD, Chair, Department of Medicine, Columbia University School of Medicine

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Artificial Intelligent Computers Would be Tools, Not Moral Beings

By Wesley J. Smith, J.D., Special Consultant to the CBC Reading the Week in Review section of the NYT today, I came upon an interesting column about a new computer — dubbed Watson — that its developers hope will rise to the level of AI, defined in the side bar copied above. Watson will soon [...]

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Adult Skin Stem Cell “Gun” Huge Breakthrough in Burn Therapy

By Wesley J. Smith, J.D., Special Consultant to the CBC Remember those bad old days when we were told embryonic stem cell research offered the “only hope?” Check this National Geographic video out! Healing within days with the patient’s own stem cells. Never underestimate the ingenuity and creativity of scientists!

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