This week's top health stories

Boy or Girl: Aust parents could soon choose

AM - 13/03/2010
Prospective parents in Australia could soon be able to choose whether they want a boy or a girl via IVF. The National Health and Medical Research Council is considering whether to overturn its guidelines banning the practice. Several other countries do allow the choice.

Obama delays Australian trip

AM - 13/03/2010
The US President will delay his trip to Asia and Australia and there's now a possibility he could cancel the trip altogether. It all rests on the fate of Barack Obama's health-care reform.

Frontbenchers debate parental leave plans

Lateline - 12/03/2010
Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner and shadow immigration minister Scott Morrison join Lateline to discuss their rival plans for paid parental leave.

Rudd meets states over health reform

Lateline - 12/03/2010
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has sold his health shake-up plans to NSW Premier Kristina Keneally, but tougher sells await.

Women on pill may live longer

Science Online - 12/03/2010
Australian experts are divided over fresh British research that says the oral contraceptive pill is good for women.

Parents give fewer bad genes than thought

Science Online - 12/03/2010
American scientists have for the first time unlocked the genetic code of an entire family, and made a startling discovery - parents pass on fewer mutations than previously thought.

PM kicks off three-state health tour

The World Today - 12/03/2010
The NSW Premier, Kristina Keneally, seems happier about the prospects of a deal on health reform now that Kevin Rudd is off to twist the arms of the Queensland and Victorian leaders. Meanwhile, Mr Rudd has rebuffed a call from the premiers to put out the Henry tax review.

PM under fire over warnings he received about insulation scheme

AM - 12/03/2010
Fire investigators will sift through the ruins of a family home in western Sydney this morning after it was badly damaged by fire, suspected of being caused by faulty insulation. The Federal Opposition is still applying pressure on the Government over its failed home insulation scheme. It says the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd must give a full explanation to Parliament next week, detailing all the warnings he was given about the program.

Mental health system in crisis: McGorry

Lateline - 11/03/2010
Mental health expert and Australian of the Year professor Patrick McGorry tells Lateline why he has asked the Government to implement a massive overhaul of the mental health system.

Painful reality - patients let down

7.30 Report - 11/03/2010
A national summit on Pain in Canberra today discussed the treatment and management of pain in Australia. Professor Cousins was chair of the summit and is an internationally recognised pain specialist. Professor Cousins says the management of pain in this country is shockingly inadequate, and that people who suffer chronic pain are often unfairly stigmatised.