News,

A New Zealand MP is calling for a law that allows under-16s to obtain an abortion without parental consent to be overturned. Bill English MP said that the Care of Children Bill which is currently before a select committee, could be amended so that abortion was treated the same as every other medical procedure. Mr English said: "The law should be changed so that parents aren't fenced out while children are faced with such a life-altering and traumatic decision." [New Zealand Herald, 25 May] Gill Greer, executive director of New Zealand's Family Planning Association, said that requiring parental consent would stop teenagers seeking abortion. [Xtramsn.co.nz, 25 May]


A bill is to be submitted to Israel's Knesset which would allow euthanasia by omission. The proposed bill, entitled "The patient is about to die" would allow terminally ill patients to nominate a close friend or relative who would have power of attorney to end their lives. 'Active' euthanasia would remain illegal. [Maariv, 25 May]


A child has been born through IVF using sperm frozen in 1979, ITV reports. The man had the sperm frozen after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, according to a report in the journal Human Reproduction. It is thought to be the oldest sperm used successfully in IVF treatment. [ITV.com, 25 May]


Researchers from the University of Hamburg have reported that women who live in areas with high pollution levels are more likely to have twins, BBC reports. Birth rates among mothers living near an incinerator in Hesse were compared with those among mothers 20km away and in a non-industrial area. Dr Nadia Obi-Osius and her team checked that the increased trend near the incinerator was not due to IVF, which also increases the possibility of multiple births. Scottish women living near incinerators showed increased twinning rates in the 1980s and Belgian researchers have noted similar trends, though in Sweden no increase was noted. [BBC, 24 May]

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