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Philadelphia Nurse Charged With Aiding Father's Suicide

POTTSVILLE, Pa. (CBS/AP) — A judge has upheld charges against a Philadelphia woman accused of helping her 93-year-old father commit suicide through a morphine overdose.

Prosecutors in Schuylkill County have charged 57-year-old nurse Barbara Mancini with aiding suicide.

A judge refused to drop the charges after a preliminary hearing Thursday.

Pottsville police say Mancini handed Joseph Yourshaw a bottle of liquid morphine at his home in February, leading to his death four days later.

Mancini remains free on bail. A phone at her lawyer's office rang unanswered Thursday evening and he could not be reached for comment.

An advocacy group called Compassion & Choice supports Mancini and says her father had end-stage diabetes and heart problems.

The group says the U.S. Supreme Court allows dying patients to receive adequate pain relief, even if it hastens their death.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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