News,

A man left severely disabled after an accident three years ago has died from an overdose of barbiturates administered by his mother. Vincent Humbert, 22, was paralysed, blind and mute and had repeatedly asked to die. Last year, he sent a letter to President Chirac asking for an exception to the ban on euthanasia. His book "I ask for the Right to Die" was published yesterday. [BBC, 26 September ] French researchers have successfully cloned rates, Ananova reports. Rats provide useful models for research into human diseases but it has proven difficult in the past to mass produce them. [Ananova, 26 September ] The governor of California has signed new laws to assist stem cell research including embryo research. At a bill signing ceremony, Gov. Gray Davis said: "I am not going to see religious or political opposition prevent ground-breaking research that can improve people's lives." [Yahoo News, 24 September ] The vice president of the Family Planning Association has warned that the NHS could be overwhelmed by the rising tide of infertility caused by sexually transmitted infections. Dr Jenny Tonge MP attacked the government for being 'far too timid' in tackling the problem and accused them of fearing a conservative backlash. [This is Local London, 26 September ]