Abortion provider says burying aborted babies is "morally offensive"

Amy Hagstrom Miller, president of Whole Women’s Health, which runs three abortion facilities in Texas. Image: Reuters/Darren Abate

The president of an abortion provider told a federal court on Tuesday that a proposed Texas regulation requiring aborted babies to be buried or cremated is unnecessary and "offensive".

Abortion advocates are fighting the regulation, saying that increased costs will make it more difficult for women to get abortions.

Amy Hagstrom Miller, president of Whole Women’s Health, which runs three abortion facilities in Texas, told US District Judge Sam Sparks "I find the interference by the government into women's personal health decisions to be morally offensive."

Judicial delays

Judge Sparks put the regulation on hold last month, and issued a temporary restraining order to delay enactment until at least January 6. During his questioning of Craig Warner, a Texas Attorney General's office lawyer, he said the measure appeared to offer "more respect" for foetal tissue than other tissue yielded from the reproductive process.

In the UK, Care Quality Commission inspectors check that clinics have procedures for "dignified disposal of pregnancy remains".

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-texas-abortion-idUSKBN14N1LF

IVF mistake means 26 women's eggs might have been fertilised by the wrong sperm

A mistake at a Dutch IVF clinic means that up to 26 women might have had their eggs fertilised by sperm from the wrong man.

"During fertilisation, sperm cells from one treatment couple may have ended up with the egg cells of 26 other couples," a statement from the University Medical Centre in Utrecht said. This means that one man may have fathered 26 children.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/ivf-mistake-wrong-sperm-egg-women-in-vitro-fertilisation-netherlands-university-medical-centre-a7498676.html

Finland set to debate euthanasia

A citizen's initiative to raise the issue euthanasia in the Finnish Parliament has gathered the 50,000 signatures needed to trigger a parliamentary debate.

According to Paul Russell of HOPE Australia, support among the public and doctors has been steadily rising, but the Finnish Medical Association remains opposed to the initiative. Association head Heikki Palve said that the majority of palliative care doctors working with dying patients object to legalising euthanasia. A 2010 survey of doctor's attitudes found that, in their opinion, more training on palliative care would diminish requests for active euthanasia and improve physicians skills in dealing with the difficult challenges faced in end-of-life situations and care.

http://noeuthanasia.org.au/blog/2493-finland-set-to-debate-euthanasia.html