News,

The former nurse manager at Liverpool Hospital in Australia has given a statement to police saying that she was told not to leave a critically ill patient alone with the doctor amid fears that he would sedate her unnecessarily. Police are currently investigating the death of Audrey Hamilton from a suspected morphine overdose. Mrs Hamilton's family have also begun legal action following claims by the South Western Sydney Area Health Service that the family were happy with their mother's care, which they deny. [The Daily Telegraph, 5 February ] A doctor has said that he will apologise after he conducted pre-implantation genetic diagnosis on three women without seeking the approval of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Dr Tetsuo Otani stated: "I'd like to comply with the views of the society as much as possible. I'm fully aware that I haven't followed the guidelines and I will apologise. I intend to say that I will comply with the society's guidelines from now on." [Daily Yomiuri, 5 February ] Schering New Zealand has said that sales of the morning after pill in the country have dramatically increased. The Family Planning Association's medical advisor was delighted, saying that women should buy the pill in advance. Philip Lynch of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children said that the pill taught people to act irresponsibly. [The Dominion Post, 5 February ] A bill to force Virginia abortion facilities to adopt the same safety standards as surgical centres has been rejected by the senate. The bill had been passed by the house in response to at least one death and many injuries at abortion clinics, but was painted by opposition as a measure to limit the number of abortions carried out in the state. [Roanoke.com, 6 February ] Israeli infertility experts have developed a new method of IVF known as intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection (IMSI) which has resulted in the birth of 101 babies in four years. The new method magnifies the sperm cells up to 6000 times, allowing more detailed examination of sperm abnormalities. [BMJ.com, 7 February ] A new book entitled War Against the Weak looks at the relationship between the work of the American eugenicists and the building of a eugenicist state in 1930s Germany. The book looks at issues such as acts of infanticide against babies born with disabilities, the promotion of forms of eugenic euthanasia and the influence of members of the eugenics movement on Hitler. [The Guardian, 6 February ] The UK health minister has said that the government will do more to address the problem of teenage pregnancy. Stephen Ladyman said that the problem had strong links with poverty but emphasised that teenagers should be given contraceptive advice. [Epolitix, 5 February ] The Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences has said that doctors can help terminally ill patients to die under certain conditions, SwissInfo reports. Werner Stauffacher, president of the SAMS said of the new recommendations: "We still state that assisted suicide is not part of normal medical practice, but we add that there are situations where assisted suicide can be comprehensible. So it's no longer a complete 'no'." Switzerland already has the largest number of assisted suicides in Europe, partly due to the work of groups such as Dignitas and Exit. [Swissinfo.org, 6 February ] A Polish pro-life group has discovered several illegal abortion facilities after conducting an undercover investigation. All Poland Youth recorded phone conversations with medical staff and have demanded that those individuals implicated be prosecuted. [LifeSiteNews.com, 5 February ]