Ethics & Health Law News

Stay updated with the latest news and journal articles on Health Law & Ethics.

Experts say US doctors overtesting, overtreating

Mar 14

Posted by Nancy Lentz in Clinical Ethics, Health information and education, Medical Boards and Associations, Preventative care, Principle-Based Ethics | Comments off

The Seattle Times, By Lindsey Tanner, 12 March 2010

“Too much cancer screening, too many heart tests, too many cesarean sections. A spate of recent reports suggest that too many Americans – maybe even President Barack Obama – are being overtreated.  Is it doctors practicing defensive medicine? Or are patients so accustomed to a culture of medical technology that they insist on extensive tests and treatments?  A combination of both is at work, but now new evidence and guidelines are recommending a step back and more thorough doctor-patient conversations about risks and benefits.”

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Cord-blood banks oversell value: Marketplace

Mar 14

Posted by Nancy Lentz in Biomedical Research, Children, Health information and education, Medical Boards and Associations | Comments off

CBC News, AP, 12 March 2010

“Health claims made by private cord-blood banks to persuade parents to save their baby’s umbilical cord blood can overstate the benefits, according to an investigation by CBC-TV’s Marketplace.”

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IVF clinics told to clamp down on test tube multiple births

Mar 14

Posted by Nancy Lentz in Artifical Reproductive Technology, New Legislation | Comments off

The Telegraph UK, By Breezy March, 13 March 2010

“Women who want an IVF baby will be forced to undergo more attempts at fertility treatment using just one embryo at a time, to avoid the risk of multiple births.The new rules, enshrined in a formal code of practice, will replace the previous “One at a Time” policy which was introduced last year by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) last year, but which carried no sanctions against clinics which breached it.However, it is feared that the new regulations will increase the overall cost of having an IVF baby.”

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The genes that show why some beat infection

Mar 14

Posted by Nancy Lentz in Biomedical Research, Chronic Disease, Genetics, Infectious Disease, Preventative care | Comments off

Sydney Morning Herald, By Rachel Browne, 14 March 2010

“Why do some people succumb to whatever illness is going around while other soldier on, seemingly unaffected? It’s all in the genes.  Research from the Rockefeller University in New York presented at the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia annual conference recently revealed a strong genetic link to a person’s ability to survive infection.  Stephen Adelstein, NSW councillor for the college, said our genes might explain why two people could be exposed to the same infection but only one became ill.”

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Boy or girl? Push for parents to choose

Mar 14

Posted by Nancy Lentz in Artifical Reproductive Technology, Gender, Genetics, New Legislation | Comments off

ABC News, By Lindy Kerin, 13 March 2010

“Sex selection is only allowed in Australia when there is a risk that parents will pass on genetic diseases.  The five-year moratorium on the practice expires this year and the National Health and Medical Research Council is reviewing whether to continue the general ban. But the Government is yet to be convinced it is the right move.”

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Kidney stolen at gunpoint: Indian labourer’s ordeal

Mar 14

Posted by Nancy Lentz in Case Law, Global and International Health, Organs and Tissue | Comments off

Sydney Morning Herald, Associate Press, 13 March 2010

“Mr Salim was a victim of an alleged multimillion-dollar kidney transplant racket run by a phoney surgeon named Amit Kumar who is now in jail, awaiting trial with eight co-accused.  Last week the Herald revealed Indian investigators believe Mr Kumar bought properties in NSW and Queensland with the proceeds of illegal transplants. Mr Kumar had many foreign clients and legal sources say ”a lot” of Australians paid him for an organ, although that has not been officially verified.”

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Bid to change WA organ donor laws to ‘opt out’

Mar 14

Posted by Nancy Lentz in New Legislation, Organs and Tissue | Comments off

The Sunday Times, By Joe Spagnolo and Anthony Deceglie, March 13, 2010

“WA MPs Joe Francis, Vince Catania and Martin Whitely will introduce a private member’s Bill which, if passed, would mean that unless people opted out of the register, hospitals could use their organs for transplants.  The Liberal, National and Labor MPs said this week the existing system, in which Australians voluntarily registered consent to organ and tissue donation for transplantation, simply wasn’t working and the time had come for a public debate on the issue.”

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Roxon uncomfortable with sex selection

Mar 13

Posted by Nancy Lentz in Artifical Reproductive Technology, Gender, Genetics, Health Law, New Legislation | Comments off

9 News, Associate Press, 13 March 2010

“The practice of choosing the sex of a baby has been banned for the last five years.  Limited exceptions exist where it can be shown that a child of a particular gender faces a high risk of inheriting a genetic disease from a parent.  The five-year moratorium expires this year and the National Health and Medical Research Council is reviewing its guidelines.  Ms Roxon said she was happy for a review and to hear the arguments for and against a change. ”But I need to flag that the government has not set down this path because we wish to make any changes,” she told ABC radio on Saturday.  “And, at a personal level, I am very uncomfortable about the suggestions that such a change might be made.”"

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Privacy concerns over electronic records: healthcare

Mar 13

Posted by Nancy Lentz in Electronic Medical Records, Health information and education, Privacy & Health Information | Comments off

The Australian, By Karen Dearne, 13 March 2010

“The Prime Minister committed to introducing personally controlled e-health records, but details are to be released “over the coming weeks and months”.  What is a personally controlled e-health record?  The term emerged last April, when the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission released a paper urging the government to mandate use of “person-controlled” systems available from providers such as Microsoft and Google.  “Every Australian should be able to choose where and how their personal e-health record will be stored, backed up and retrieved,” it said.”

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The Pill given health all-clear

Mar 13

Posted by Nancy Lentz in Biomedical Research, Health information and education, Sexual Health | Comments off

NZ Herald, By Jeremy Laurence, 13 March 2010

“Women who have ever used the contraceptive pill are less likely to die from any cause, including all types of cancer and heart disease, one of the world’s biggest studies has confirmed.  The reassuring results come after decades of scares which have linked the pill with increased rates of blood clots, stroke, heart disease and cancer.”

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