Center on Human Exceptionalism

The mission of Discovery Institute’s Center on Human Exceptionalism is to affirm and uphold the intrinsic nature of human dignity, liberty, and equality. In resistance to a growing movement against unique human personhood, we aim to revitalize a commitment to the traditional Western view of human rights and human responsibilities — summed up by the term “human exceptionalism.” Read more

Humanize

Wisconsin Governor Vetoes Anti-“Nature Rights” Legislation

Wesley J. Smith
March 23, 2026
3
Nature and Conservation
A few months ago, I posted about a Republican-sponsored bill in Wisconsin that would preempt local communities from enacting “nature rights” ordinances. I wrote at the time: If the bill passes, I suspect that the Democrat governor will veto it. Nature rights was adopted into the platform of Florida’s Democratic Party, and I predict it will eventually become a plank of the national party as it is becoming a zealous progressive cause as a means of combatting climate change and hobbling capitalism. But at least a veto would be clarifying. Later, Wisconsin Democrat legislators heightened my expectation by filing a resolution in support of granting nature “inherent rights, including the right to exist, flourish, regenerate, and be restored.” The …

Jan Jekielek on China’s Forced Organ Harvesting Atrocity

Jan Jekielek
March 23, 2026
2

Article in The Lancet Decries Bioethics Conference for Not Condemning Genocide

Wesley J. Smith
March 21, 2026
2
Bioethics

University Pushes “Tree Rights”

Wesley J. Smith
March 18, 2026
5
Nature and Conservation

Planned Botox! Planned Parenthood Entering Cosmetic Beauty Industry

Wesley J. Smith
March 16, 2026
3
Abortion

Medical Journal Articles Decry Immigration Enforcement

Wesley J. Smith
March 13, 2026
5
Science Journals

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Podcast

Jan Jekielek on China’s Forced Organ Harvesting Atrocity

Jan Jekielek
March 23, 2026
In one of the great atrocities in human history, Chinese political prisoners are tissue-typed and later murdered and harvested to supply the country’s thriving organ transplant black market. How long have regime enemies been so targeted and how does the system work? For years, that has been difficult to discern fully. China is one of the world’s most secretive societies and unequivocal answers have proved elusive. Until now. Wesley’s guest Jan Jekielek has written a crucial book — Killed to Order: China’s Organ Harvesting Industry and the True Nature of America’s Biggest Adversary — in which he explains in detail how the organ harvesting system operates, who benefits, why the government permits such cruelty, and what can be done about it. Jekielek …

The Trouble with Transhumanism: Wesley J. Smith’s Guest Appearance on Bioethics Babe

Wesley J. Smith
March 9, 2026
Turnabout is fair play, they say. So on this episode of Humanize, Wesley is the guest, interviewed by the “Bioethics Babe,” the podcast of Center on Human Exceptionalism Fellow Arina Grossu Agnew. Arina and Wesley discuss the nature of transhumanism, its philosophical, moral, and political implications, its role as a substitute for religion, its threat to human equality, and whether we are quietly waging a war on human equality in the name of progress. Is transhumanism the next frontier of progress or a revival of eugenics in a biotech age? In this episode of Bioethics Babe, I sit down with attorney, award-winning author, and Humanize podcast host Wesley J. Smith to unpack the growing transhumanist movement, the push to engineer a “post-human” future …

Melissa Ortiz on the Disability Rights Movement

Melissa Ortiz
February 23, 2026
Disability rights is a global social and civil rights movement that advocates for equal opportunities, accessibility, and freedom from discrimination. The goal is to ensure that people with disabilities participate fully and equally in society free from barriers in employment, healthcare, architecture, and education. It has been more than thirty-five years since President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act. Yet, despite many years of advocacy, the scope, breadth, and goals of the movement are less known than activism for racial and sex equality. So, Wesley thought he would look into the movement to recount its successes and goals yet to be achieved. His guest is Melissa Ortiz, founder and principal of Capability Consulting, an award-winning speaker, and a …

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