Category Archives: law

Boston’s Question 2

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Over at the Corner, Wesley Smith posted a comment on Boston’s Question 2 (assisted suicide). You can find it here. Here was my response: Wesley, you write: “Pro-assisted-suicide activists often claim falsely that opponents want to force (Catholic) religion on … Continue reading →

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Not So Slippery A Slope

Posted on October 20, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Could the availability of assisted suicide actually prolong life in some cases? The Economist notes: The prospect of the loss of autonomy, of dignity and of the ability to enjoy life are the main reasons cited by those wanting assisted … Continue reading →

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Must Try Harder (2)

Posted on October 14, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Writing in The Wall Street Journal, a Roman Catholic priest, Tadeusz Pacholczyk, tries to throw in (I think) a little irony in support of his church’s campaign against assisted suicide: In the November elections, voters in Massachusetts will decide on … Continue reading →

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New York’s MTA, the First Amendment & the Heckler’s Veto

Posted on September 29, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Cross-posted on the Corner The New York Times reports: [New York’s] Metropolitan Transportation Authority approved new guidelines for advertisements on Thursday, prohibiting those that it “reasonably foresees would imminently incite or provoke violence or other immediate breach of the peace. … Continue reading →

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For Misery in Massachusetts

Posted on September 29, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Cardinal O’Malley (The National Catholic Register reports): Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston is leading a statewide fight to defeat the Death With Dignity Act, a November 2012 ballot measure that would legalize assisted suicide in Massachusetts. He has outlined the … Continue reading →

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So Unsophisticated, That First Amendment

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Cross-posted on the Corner: Eric Posner, a professor at the University of Chicago law school frets in Slate: The universal response in the United States to the uproar over the anti-Muslim video is that the Muslim world will just have … Continue reading →

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Erdogan, Again

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Cross-posted on the Corner: Turkey’s thuggish (“mildly Islamist”, if you are The Economist) prime minister Erdogan is doing his bit to restrict free speech. The Seattle Times reports: Prompted by the anti-Muslim video produced in California that has stirred deadly … Continue reading →

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Patronizing, Cruel & Misleading

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Peter Mullen, a British parson, attempts to clothe his religiously-based objections to assisted suicide (“As a Christian, I do not believe we have the right to die at the moment and by the means of … Continue reading →

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Locked-In

Posted on August 19, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

The Independent: The debate about assisted suicide has been reignited after the [English] High Court ruled that two men with locked-in-syndrome cannot be legally helped to die. Tony Nicklinson, 58, and a second man known as Martin, 47, mounted legal … Continue reading →

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Blasphemy & Identity Politics

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

This piece by Kenan Melik on the changing definition of blasphemy, at least in the UK (and, by extension, elsewhere in the west) is well worth reading. This, I think, is the key extract: In recent decades, faith has, in … Continue reading →

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