Research links cannabis smoking to problems in early pregnancy
Research suggests a link between cannabis smoking and increased risk of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy...
News
No 'conscience vote' on embryo cloning in Australia
Australian Prime Minister John Howard has ruled out the possibility of a 'conscience vote' on whether embryo cloning for medical research purposes (therapeutic cloning) should be permitted in the country. But following a backbench revolt, Mr Howard has said he will allow coalition members to debate...
Different genes may trigger autism in boys and girls
Researchers at the University of Washington, US, have found that different genes may be responsible for causing autism in boys than girls. Reporting in the Journal of Molecular Genetics last week, they have found evidence for two genetic subtypes of autism; both male versus female and also...
New Zealand woman awarded surrogacy costs
New Zealand's Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) has ruled that a woman who was left without a womb after going into hospital to have a baby is entitled to compensation to cover the cost of using a surrogate to carry a child for her. The ACC will...
NZ report recommends changes to PGD regulation
A new report on embryo testing by the New Zealand Law Foundation has identified some inconsistencies in the way the procedure is regulated. The document, entitled 'Choosing Genes for Future Children: Regulating Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis', is the first major report from a multidisciplinary project based at...
UK couple to move frozen embryos abroad
A UK couple from Greater Manchester, fighting to prevent their frozen embryos from being destroyed, have been given extra time to try find a clinic abroad to store them. Michelle Hickman, 33, and her husband, Martin Hymers, 34, underwent IVF to freeze six embryos after Ms Hickman's...
Older fathers link to increased miscarriage risk
New research from US scientists, based at the Columbia University School of Public Health and the New York Psychiatric Institute, suggests that woman who become pregnant by older men are at greater risk of miscarriage. Results indicate that as the male partner ages there is a steady...
Comment
Your country needs you!
by Pip Morris and 1 others
Britain's sperm crisis' was the front page of The Independent on Sunday (30 July) accompanied by another article: 'Your country needs you'. As was expected, the removal of anonymity was blamed for the decline in sperm donors and the presented solution looked simple: reverse the law and donors would come...