Shifting Standards on Medical Ethics

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Those trying to ram through the appointment of Henry W. Foster Jr. as surgeon general say the abortions he performed and his involuntary sterilization of retarded women are (in the case of abortion) or were (in the case of the sterilization) "accepted medical procedure" at the time.

This reasoning is what is wrong with our culture. It reflects our spiritual malnutrition, which has led to many of the social problems we now lament.

Even a spokesperson for the National Organization for Women was shocked when she heard about Foster's sterilization procedures. "I'm appalled," said Diane Welsh, president of the New York City chapter of NOW. "NOW is an organization …