CategoryEthics
John West’s New Book Stockholm Syndrome Looks at Francis Collins
It’s not possible to reconcile Collins’s treatment of unborn children with a Christian view of them
Swiss Canton Liberates Suicide Tourism from Police Investigation
Suicidal people are increasingly abandoned to lethal assistance, with steps continually taken to make death easier to access
Oregon Bill Would Allow Nondoctors to Prescribe Assisted Suicide
I suspect the categories of providers are expanding because most doctors have no interest in assisted suicide
Vermont Bill Would Allow Nondoctors to Prescribe Assisted Suicide
Initial assisted suicide laws are merely the launching pad for an ever-expanding prescribed death regime
Montana Senate Passes Bill Outlawing Physician-Assisted Suicide
In a muddled legal situation, the bill declares assisted suicide to be contrary to Montana public policy, making a previous courtroom defense unavailable
Gen AI: A Neutral Tool? Let’s Look More Closely
All technologies change us. Some technologies change us in ways where the harms far outweigh any benefits.
Will We Starve Dementia Patients in Slow Motion?
There is a proposal on the table to barely feed — i.e., malnourish — dementia patients who have previously signed a directive
Colorado Supremes Unanimously Nix Elephant Personhood
The court further ruled that such a radical and culture-destroying change in law should not be imposed by courts but rather legislatures
What Canada’s Collapsing Health Care System Means
It means that people die who might have lived if they had access to health care
Can AI Really Code the Value of Humans?
The new book Soulless Intelligence urges that we program all AI systems to treat all humans as infinitely valuable – the only exceptions being criminals and aggressors
Progressive Columnist Almost Embraces Sanctity of Human Life
Some ethical codes are so important they need to be adopted by society to protect the general welfare and guard liberty
Are Churches Becoming Victims of Stockholm Syndrome?
In a new book, John West looks at the problem of evangelical church leaders adopting the belief systems of their opponents, perhaps to stay safe
Assisted-Suicide Death Ceremonies Becoming Normalized
I certainly believe we should all remember that we are going to die as a means of focusing our faith or concentrating on how to live better lives
Edge of Sentience Summarizes Research on Animals’, AIs’ Feelings
And animal rights laws as well. But there is a dark side to Jonathan Birch’s approach too…Philosophy prof Jonathan Birch, principal investigator of the Animal Sentience Project at the London School of Economics, has written a book on whether and how animals feel things: The Edge of Sentience (Oxford University Press 2024). It’s not as arcane a topic as it might at first appear. It shows up in new legislation and think tanks. At Amazon, we learn, for example, “In 2021, he led a review for the UK government that shaped the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022. In 2022-23, he was part of a working group that investigated the question of sentience in AI.” And as Birch told Marc Bekoff at Psychology Today, I’m probably best-known for my work on invertebrate sentience, which is one part Read More ›
Basta! Italy’s Bioethics Committee Urges Blocking Puberty Blockers
It's becoming a trend and the United States may well follow suit
NYT Column: Factory Farms Are Good for People and the Planet
Journalist Michael Grunwald points out that factory farming means fewer natural spaces are cleared for farmland than would otherwise be the case
Questionable Study on Assisted Suicide and Suicide Correlation
Bioethicists find a way to make suicides "disappear" from a study
The Media Still Can’t Get Facts about Terri Schiavo Right
The Terri Schiavo case tipped this country’s morality. Before her death, people couldn’t believe we dehydrate cognitively disabled people to death. Afterward, a majority supported it