News,

The Mental Capacity Bill has been introduced into the UK Parliament. The government bill, which in drafts issued up to now would legalise euthanasia by omission, will be published tomorrow. [Parliament.uk, 17 June ] A test developed by UK scientists could predict when individual women will become infertile, The Times of London reports. The test uses a measurement of the woman's ovaries as the basis for a mathematical calculation of the age she is likely to reach the menopause. This could have implications for women at risk of experiencing the menopause early and women who want to postpone motherhood for career reasons. [The Times of London, 17 June ] UK scientists involved in embryonic stem cell research have complained that licence fees may put an end to their work. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) which currently regulates research on embryos has said that it must increase licence fees from £200 to £6000 to comply with Treasury rules covering the cost of regulation. Many universities and charities involved with embryonic stem cell research will be unable to pay the fee, leading some experts to question the need for HFEA regulation. [The Guardian, 16 June ] A Wisconsin man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for two counts of homicide after he was convicted of killing his pregnant girlfriend. Judge Jean DiMotto said of the crimes committed by Quenton Quortez Thompson that they were "not only the worst that I have seen in my career, but they're the worst that I can imagine." Under Wisconsin's Fetal Homicide Law of 1998, the killing of Nicole Blake and her unborn son were both legally recognised as homicide. Some 30 US states have laws protecting the unborn from violent crime, excluding the violence of abortion. [Lifenews.com, 16 June ]