Touting a particular cure for dread diseases seems an odd way to campaign for president of the United States. But Democratic candidate John Kerry thinks that it may just get him over the line in November's election. On the third anniversary this week of President Bush's decision to limit Federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research, Senator Kerry and his running mate John Edwards are promising to lift the restrictions and "say yes to knowledge, yes to discovery and yes to a new era of hope for all Americans". Senator Edwards has also promised Democratic backing for therapeutic cloning.
In a year in which voters are highly polarised, the Democrats hope that stem cell research is an issue which will tip undecided voters into the Kerry camp. "Voters are not going to fully appreciate in a short campaign the complexity of the medical and biological implications of this," says G. Terry Madonna, a political analyst. "But what is important…
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About 10 per cent of all deaths in the Netherlands in 2001 were due to terminal sedation -- drugging patients and stopping all food and water -- according to a report in the Annals of Internal Medicine. In most cases, the primary intention of the doctor was to alleviate symptoms of pain or distress, but in 17% the doctor explicitly intended to bring about the death of the patient. In many of these cases, death was not imminent. The lead author, Professor Paul van der Maas, of Erasmus University Medical Centre, said that ensuring that a dying patient remains asleep until death has become established medical practice in the Netherlands.
Under Dutch legislation patients can also choose euthanasia, but they usually feel that terminal sedation is more natural. The researchers found that doctor discuss whether terminal sedation should be administered with the patients' relatives but not always with the…
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Many Australian Aborigines living in a traditional lifestyle end their days in city hospitals, lonely, confused and afraid of euthanasia, a researcher claims. Dr Pam McGrath, of Central Queensland University, says that palliative care facilities should be established in rural areas so that Aborigines can die at home with their families.
Aborigines from the Outback often do not have a good command of English and do not understand many basic medical procedures, such as taking blood. "Some have a fear that palliative care is associated with euthanasia. They think morphine is about ending life, not resolving pain," says Dr McGrath. "Then they worry that they will die without being able to pass their wisdom on, which is a very important part of end-of-life for indigenous peoples."
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And in the UK, a patient who feared that doctors would withdraw food and drink against his wishes has won a landmark case. The High Court ruled that guidelines set by the General Medical Council were skewed towards the right of patients to refuse treatment rather than their right to require treatment. Leslie Burke, 44, who has a degenerative brain condition, says that "the onus should be on helping people to live, not despatching people too early. The patient should have the last say." The General Medical Council said that it welcomed clarification of the law in several areas, but that it would appeal the ruling.
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A small US study shows that nearly two-thirds of doctors would not follow instructions in living wills because of pressure from family members or because the prognosis for the patient was hopeful. Bioethics experts reacted to the article in the Archives of Internal Medicine with weary agreement. "There have been many studies over the course of the last decade which suggest that advance directives, especially living wills, are not particularly helpful, says Alan Meisel, of the University of Pittsburgh. And Howard Brody, of Michigan State University, says, "There are two obvious reasons why a doctor might not follow an advance directive. Reason one is that the doctor is a jerk and is practicing unethical medicine. The second reason is that [the] advance directive is unfollowable... People say things like 'no heroics'. What does that mean? What's heroic and isn't heroic?"
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A San Francisco IVF clinic has settled out of court for US$1 million after implanting the wrong embryo in a 48-year-old single woman four years ago and then trying to keep it a secret. Susan Buchweitz only discovered the mistake when her child was 10 months old, although the doctor, Steven L. Katz, had been told almost immediately by the embryologist, Imam El-Danasouri.
Four years later Ms Buchweitz is embroiled in a mare's nest of lawsuits. She sued both the doctor and the embryologist and the couple who provided the embryo sued her for custody of the child. The unnamed woman bore a daughter at the same time who is her son's biological sister. Ms Buchweitz only has temporary custody of her child pending a court case later this year. The biological father has visiting rights two days a week.
Children conceived by IVF are nine times as likely to have a rare genetic disorder, Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, as naturally- conceived children. In an article published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, researchers from the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Melbourne say that the natural incidence of BWS is 1 in 36,000 births, but for IVF children it is 1 in 4,000. This Australian study confirms other research published last year.
Although the condition is quite uncommon, doctors are asking what feature of IVF causes the defects. One possibility is that IVF itself is to blame. Another is that growing embryos in a culture medium can lead to imprinting errors. This is worrying as IVF clinics are trying to reduce the number of multiple pregnancies by implanting only a single embryo which has grown in a culture medium for a few days. Yet another reason is growing evidence that the eggs and sperm of people with infertility problems are more…
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BioEdge will not be published on July 30 and August 6. The next issue will be August 13.
UK gives thumbs up to "saviour siblings"
The UK fertility watchdog has given a green light to the creation of "saviour siblings" -- genetically matched babies created with IVF to save the life of a seriously ill brother or sister. The decision of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority comes after hard lobbying by some IVF doctors. The British Medical Association welcomed the decision, saying that "if the technology to help a dying or seriously ill child exists, without involving major risks for others, then it can only be right that it is used for this purpose."
However, the decision outraged others. Josephine Quintavalle, of the group Comment on Reproductive Ethics, called it "grossly unethical and grossly undemocratic". "This decision has been taken behind closed doors without any consultation with the public," she…
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The Japanese Government's top science council has approved limited cloning of human embryos for scientific research. The clones cannot be used for treating human patients. A cabinet council on science and technology policy headed by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will now ask ministries to propose specific guidelines. AP, Jul 24
South African doctors charged in organ trade
A senior South African nephrologist, Dr Jeff Kallmeyer, is on trial in Durban for participating in an organ trafficking scheme. Police say that hundreds of transplants took place in two hospitals owned by the Netcare group, with most of them done at St Augustine's hospital in Durban. Several other surgeons and medical staff have been arrested and are awaiting trial. Netcare, which provides services on contract to the British National Health Service, has consistently denied any wrong-doing.
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About 10 per cent of all deaths in the Netherlands in 2001 were due to terminal sedation -- drugging patients and stopping all food and water -- according to a report in the Annals of Internal Medicine. In most cases, the primary intention of the doctor was to alleviate symptoms of pain or distress, but in 17% the doctor explicitly intended to bring about the death of the patient. In many of these cases, death was not imminent. The lead author, Professor Paul van der Maas, of Erasmus University Medical Centre, said that ensuring that a dying patient remains asleep until death has become established medical practice in the Netherlands. 
And in the UK, a patient who feared that doctors would withdraw food and drink against his wishes has won a landmark case. The High Court ruled that guidelines set by the General Medical Council were skewed towards the right of patients to refuse treatment rather than their right to require treatment. Leslie Burke, 44, who has a degenerative brain condition, says that "the onus should be on helping people to live, not despatching people too early. The patient should have the last say." The General Medical Council said that it welcomed clarification of the law in several areas, but that it would appeal the ruling.
The UK fertility watchdog has given a green light to the creation of "saviour siblings" -- genetically matched babies created with IVF to save the life of a seriously ill brother or sister. The decision of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority comes after hard lobbying by some IVF doctors. The British Medical Association welcomed the decision, saying that "if the technology to help a dying or seriously ill child exists, without involving major risks for others, then it can only be right that it is used for this purpose." 
