Thursday, 7 January 2010

Octuplet doctor accused of gross negligence

There's an interesting article in the LA Times about the latest on the fertility doctor involved in the case of the American octuplets. He's been accused of gross negligence by the Medical Board of California.

It seems that in this particular case he continued to keep treating his patient, using high doses of fertility drugs, sometimes just three or four months after she'd given birth to one of her six children. She was stockpiling embryos as she kept having fresh treatment cycles, but he allowed her to carry on, and replaced more embryos than considered acceptable for a woman of any age, let alone one who'd already had a number of treatment cycles. There was never any assessment of her mental health. What's perhaps most saddening is his lawyer's defence of what occurred, saying that at all times the doctor concerned was only trying to comply with patient preferences.

I know that some people do consider our system here in the UK to be over-regulated, and the HFEA to be interfering, but if this is what happens when you don't regulate, it's pretty clear which system works best...

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