Caesarean sections emerge as ethics issue
Doctors should regard elective caesarean sections as ethical, reversing long-standing attitudes toward the practice, argues an article in the New England Journal of Medicine. The position of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics is that "performing Caesarean deliveries for non-medical reasons is ethically unjustified". However, more and more women are requesting them, even in countries like Colombia, Mexico and Chile.

Ignoring criticisms that women who choose Caesareans over natural childbirth are "too posh to push", two New York doctors say that doctors should accede to women's requests since there is not enough evidence to determine which is safer. Obstetricians should be ready to counsel women about the risks and benefits of elective Caesarean delivery, they say.

Elective Caesareans have long been frowned upon because of the risks of surgery and the increased cost. However, with many women bearing their first child in their 30s, inconvenience, fear of the pain of labour and the possibility of urinary incontinence have made Caesareans more popular. ~ NEJM, Mar 6; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Mar 18 RETURN TO TOP

Australian researchers push for stem cell bank
With research on frozen IVF embryos now legal, Australian stem cell scientists are urging the creation of a stem cell bank for both embryonic and adult stem cells. "For the field to progress, it's essential that researchers have open access to well-characterised banks of stem cell lines," says Dr Martin Pera, the chief science office at the new national Centre for Stem Cells and Tissue Repair.

Interest was high at the Stem Cell Summit 2003 in Melbourne last week, although the chief executive of the National Health and Medical Research Council, Alan Pettigrew, told the Australian that it would be some time before one could open in Australia. The Summit featured the architect of the recently-opened UK Stem Cell Bank, Glyn Stacey. He says that a bank is needed but notes that the logistical, ethical and intellectual property issues raised by a stem cell bank are formidable. ~ Weekend Australian, Mar 15-16 RETURN TO TOP

Despite Bush, embryo research progresses in the US
Philanthropists, state governments and researchers have been propping up embryonic stem cell research after US President George Bush restricted federal funding to a handful of stem cell linesin 2001. California has already passed a bill authorising the use of state money and similar measures are on the table in at least six other states. Private groups such as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, the Wellcome Trust, the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation and others have given millions of dollars to laboratories, many of them in Europe. Wealthy benefactors have given millions to two universities to set up ESC research centres. However, these sources would have been eclipsed by federal government funding, if Bush had not intervened. ~ New York Times, Mar 16

In an interview with the New Scientist, the quadriplegic actor Christopher Reeve outlined a campaign strategy to bypass the Federal Government. "We're going to the state legislators and getting state laws passed that allow stem cell research. The first success was in California... Now we're working on Massachusetts, Ohio, Wisconsin and New York. If we can get the legislation passed by that many states, it would be virtually impossible for the Federal Government to try to stop it," he says. Reeve's foundation gives about US$15 million each year for research and another $4 million to help people with day-to-day living. ~ New Scientist, Mar 22 RETURN TO TOP

New Zealand parliament prepares to debate euthanasia
A New Zealand euthanasia campaigner has been gagged by a court and may not be able to participate in an April tour by Australian activist Philip Nitschke. Lesley Martin, who has been charged with the murder of her aged mother in 1999, was granted bail on condition that she did not publicise her views or market a book she wrote about her mother's death.

New Zealand is gearing up for national debate on euthanasia after the introduction of a Death with Dignity Bill on March 6. The private member's bill calls for two independent medical opinions, mandatory counselling with a psychologist or psychiatrist, a mandatory stand-down period and a minimum age of 18 before a person can be allowed to kill himself with medical help. ~ New Zealand Herald, Mar 19

Deputies in Chinese People's Congress lobbying for euthanasia
Thirty-two deputies to the Chinese People's Congress have called for legalised euthanasia, although their proposal is unlikely to pass. Shanghai deputy Zhu Shiming, whose brother-in-law recently died a painful death from cancer, explains that "We are materialists. Why can't we make death easier for patients with incurable and distressing diseases who are pleading to die?" Euthanasia would also ease financial burdens on the families of dying people, Zhu says.

Legal experts quoted by the China Daily urged caution. Zhao Bingshi, secretary-general of the China Law Science Society Criminal Law Research Institute says, "China lacks the foundation needed for enacting such a law. The issue involves basic human rights. Any move towards euthanasia should be made with extreme caution." ~ China Daily, Mar 14 RETURN TO TOP

California confronts its eugenic past
The US state of California may consider a formal apology for the sterilisation of 19,000 men and women between 1909 and 1950. According to University of Virginia bioethicist Paul Lombardo, California's eugenics practices were even held up as models for the Nazis at a conference in 1935. Its "asexualization" law went beyond sterilisation and authorised castration of men or the removal of ovaries from women. As late as the early 60s, California judges were still ordering castration as a condition for paroling some sex offenders.

Unlike the Nazis, who practiced eugenics to "purify" the German people, American eugenics was more pragmatic, says Lombardo. "This was about saving money. It was the economic motive. [They said] we don't want you generating any more kids we'd have to pay for, and we don't think you could take care of the kid if you had it."

"There's an impulse toward eugenics that is very much alive today," says Lombardo. "The basic belief that we can use science to engineer social progress is an idea that many Americans believe in." ~ San Francisco Chronicle, Mar 10 RETURN TO TOP

Three's not a crowd, says Canadian judge
A Canadian lesbian couple with two-year-old son is seeking to have the two of them as well as the biological father recognised as the boy's legal parents. The man does not live with the couple, but is treated as a member of the household. "We've got a loving circle of family and they have done everything society could hope for in terms of providing for the child and would just like legal recognition," said a lawyer representing one of the women.

Critics have warned that a three-person marriage is a step towards the end of the traditional family. Canadian family advocate Brian Rushfeldt even foresees "spousal benefits for three or four or five spouses". However, Family Court Justice David Aston has warmed to the idea, saying "I can't imagine a stronger case for seeking the order you are seeking... The only concern is that I'm governed by legislation and that's the only hurdle you've got to get over." ~ WorldNetDaily, Mar 13; National Review Online, Mar 11 RETURN TO TOP

New test for foetal birth defects
A routine blood test may be all that is needed to pick up birth defects while a child is still in the womb, say Hong Kong researchers. Scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have been able to identify genetic material from the foetus which leaves the placenta and circulates in the mother's bloodstream. Currently the only reliable tests for genetic problems for unborn babies are amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. Both are invasive and stressful for the mother and involve a small risk of miscarrying the baby. A simpler test will make it easier to identify children with defects and eliminate them through an abortion. ~ HealthScoutNews, Mar 17 RETURN TO TOP

IN BRIEF: coma girl revives; fertility decline; embryo adoption