BACKGROUND The extent to which birth defects after infertility treatment may be explained by underlying parental factors is uncertain. METHODS We linked a census of treatment with assisted reproductive technology in South Australia to a registry of births and terminations with a gestation period of at least 20 weeks or a birth weight of at least 400 g and registries of birth defects (includin...

This study evaluated the fiscal impact attributed to recent policy changes that limited funding to public fertility clinics in Denmark. Taking into consideration that introducing patient co-payments will influence the numbers of couples treated, the number of children born every year from assisted reproductive technology will be affected. To reflect the government perspective, the model assesse...

Proponents of the legalization of assisted suicide often appeal to our supposed right to "die with dignity" to defend their case. I examine and assess different notions of "dignity" that are operating in many arguments for the legalization of assisted suicide, and I find them all to be deficient. I then consider an alternative conception of dignity that is based on Aristotle's conception of the...

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether assisted conception is associated with an increased risk of admission to a residential early parenting program for treatment of maternal mood disorder or infant feeding or sleeping disorders in the postpartum year. DESIGN Systematic audit of consecutive medical records. SETTING Masada Private Hospital Mother Baby Unit (MPHMBU), Melbourne, Australia. PATIEN...

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is not only used in human assisted reproduction (ART), but it is also widely employed for veterinary in vitro fertilization during rare species preservation, germ-line rescue of transgenic animals or for any veterinary assisted conception. Piezo-assisted ICSI, which was first described in 1995 [1], can be employed for assisted conception in animals in whi...

Introduction: The overall principles that inform any discussion of medical ethics include respect for the autonomy of the patient, together with the concepts of beneficence and justice. Respect for our patient’s autonomy obliges us to ensure that those giving consent to treatment are fully informed and that confidentiality of their consultations is guaranteed. Beneficence involves considering t...