Bereaved parents agonising over whether to subject their dead child or stillborn baby to a full post-mortem now have an alternative that is potentially far less traumatic. For fetuses and infants under the age of one, MRI scans combined with minimally invasive procedures including blood tests are as effective as an autopsy at revealing the cause of death. (New scientist)

The study, published in the journal Health Affairs, found U.S. cancer patients were 2.65 times more likely to file for bankruptcy than people without cancer. (UPI)

Nearly two years ago, the US government office that oversees human research ethics launched the first-ever major revision to the so-called Common Rule, the 22-year-old regulation that governs the protection of human research subjects there. But the process set into motion by that agency—the Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP), a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—is dragging on. And a vocal contingent of bioethicists and researchers say the changes on the table are not enough to fix an outdated and overburdened system, advocating instead for a more fundamental rethink. (Nature)

My problem with euthanasia is not that it is a immoral way to die, but that it has its roots in a fearful way to live. (The Guardian)

James Brown, who has been diagnosed with psychosis, spent three days at Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital, in Las Vegas, in February 2012. Depressed and thinking of suicide, Brown ended up there after problems at his group home. But just three days after he was admitted, the doctors felt James was stable enough to go. (ABC News)

Judge describes ‘wicked and selfish’ motive of using daughter to provide parent with a fourth child. (The Guardian)

Smiling is something 30-year-old Sarah Still constantly has to remind herself to do, especially when she is going into a job interview. Still has Asperger’s, a high-functioning form of autism. For the past 10 years, she has experienced the highs and lows of being on the autism spectrum while trying to work in professional settings. (CNN)

The Navy sent extra medical personnel to the Guantanamo detention camp because of a growing hunger strike, and the American Medical Association questioned whether doctors were being asked to violate their ethics by force-feeding prisoners. (Chicago Tribune)

Many nurses face bullying and being belittled when they try to whistle-blow, a survey suggests. (BBC)

Days after they were badly hurt in a car accident, Jacinto Cruz and Jose Rodriguez-Saldana lay unconscious in an Iowa hospital while the American health care system weighed what to do with the two immigrants from Mexico. (Associated Press)

The man who pioneered in vitro fertilization also stirred deep unease about what he was doing. (The Wall Street Journal)

The astonishing story of Henrietta Lacks, who died of cancer in 1951 but whose still living cells are now the basis for much medical research, has captivated the U.S. for the past two years — and there is no sign of the debate, or its controversies, abating. (Japan Times)

Alternative therapies can help relieve discomfort and stress. Families can pursue and sometimes administer these therapies in both hospice and hospital settings. (Chicago Tribune)

It is characteristic of the American condition that we want to save the world. This may be seen economically, politically, in terms of human rights, consumption of resources, education or healthcare - any way one chooses. (The Yemen Times)

The Honourable David Kilgour, former Canadian Secretary of State for the Asia Pacific Region arrived in Australia last week. In Melbourne on Thursday, Mr. Kilgour is speaking at a pre-release private screening of the film “Free China: The Courage to Believe”. This film, in which Mr. Kilgour is interviewed, tells the story of two Falun Gong practitioners who survive the horrors of China’s labor camps, including torture and human organ trafficking. (New Tang Dynasty TV)

Ellen Goodman won the Pulitzer Prize for her thoughtful Boston Globe columns. Now retired from that job but busier than ever, Goodman publicly laments that she won no prizes for easing her mother through illness and very hard decisions about how to care for her during the final months of her life. (U.S. News and World Report)

Few women voluntarily go through the invasive and time-consuming procedure without compensation, leading to a shortage of healthy oocytes, commonly called eggs, for research. (Sacramento Bee)

For a film in which a husband murders his wife, Amour has been shown a lot of love. It was nominated for five Oscars, including best actress for Emmanuelle Riva, and best foreign language film, which it won. (The Guardian)

Emory University Center for Ethics and the Health Care Ethics Consortium of Georgia
The Politics of Caring: Ethical Issues of Distributive Justice in an Era of Scarce Resources
March 21& 22, 2013
Emory Conference Center
Atlanta, Georgia

For more information: www.hcecg.org or call 404-727-9533

A new issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (February 28, 2013) is now available online and in print.

There is an extended debate on Open Access, Patient Privacy, and the future of medical publishing including:

• Protecting Patient Privacy and Data Security by JK Taitsman, CM Grimm, and S Agrawal
• For the Sake of Inquiry and Knowledge — The Inevitability of Open Access by AJ Wolpert (Free Full Text)
• The Downside of Open-Access Publishing by C Haug (Free Full Text)

Holliday is now lobbying Hallmark, the world’s largest distributor of greeting cards, to offer a line of cards specifically for those entering hospice. (ABC News)