Consistent with the soul-searching experience and dialogue that I discussed in the January issue as a “useful by-product” of the war on terrorism will be the debate orchestrated by the President’s Council on Bioethics over the next couple of years. Leon Kass seems the ideal choice to lead this panel and, if reports of the […]
Gun Rights and Compassion
Guest Essay (The following essay was published in FrontPage Magazine by my friend and political philosophy group colleague, Jeff Crow, an ex-fire department paramedic and writer in Houston. It is entitled “Gun Rights and Compassion: Apples and Oranges”) Jamie was in “one of his moods” again. When Doris Fleener’s troubled teenaged son felt depressed he […]
The Stem Cell Debate
After studying this issue for several weeks, it’s clear to me that we will not resolve it or other issues involving genetic research, not to mention abortion, until we resolve as a society what is meant by being human and at what point human life begins, with its automatically attached and inalienable rights. This is […]
Death Watch
Texas Governor Rick Perry has been roundly criticized editorially for several of his vetoes of legislation passed in the recently concluded legislative session, none more vociferously than his rejection of a bill banning the execution of mentally retarded murderers. Some suggested that this adds to Texas’ image as a callous and cruel place. But, in […]
Promoting Fatherhood
One of the programs that has a nice fit with President Bush’s faith-based initiative is the promotion of responsible fatherhood, and one particular organization, the National Fatherhood Initiative, has done a good job of leading a movement toward restoration of traditional concepts of family, marriage, and fatherhood. Recent U. S. Census statistics reflect that one-third […]
Bioethics Revisited
Speaking of Alvin Toffler, a recent op/ed piece by him and his wife, Heidi, reminded me to follow up on my essay of last July, in which I commented that, with the breaking of the genetic code, we are very likely in the midst of a fourth great scientific revolution. Toffler adds to my unease […]
Genetic Considerations
The recent announcement of breakthrough progress in mapping the human genome reminded me of a lecture on bioethics at Rice University I attended several years ago. It became clear to me then that our 27-year old war over abortion and the Roe v. Wade decision is just the tip of the iceberg compared to […]
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