Rome, May 15

A controversial Italian fertility surgeon who has been accused of removing eggs from a woman’s ovaries without her consent claimed today he is the victim of a witch hunt.

Severino Antinori, dubbed the grandmothers’ obstetrician for helping women in their 60s to have children, was recovering at his Rome residence today, a day after he was rushed to hospital.

He attributed the visit to the stress of being arrested and suspended from medicine over what his lawyers have dismissed as malicious claims. “I have pains in my chest, I could have had a heart attack,” Antinori, 70, told the AGI news agency.

“I am very ill because of this unjustified arrest. I am an honest man. I’ve never robbed eggs from anyone and while all this is going on the embryos that have been sequestrated are dying.”

Antinori has been under house arrest since Friday after being detained by police on charges of aggravated robbery and causing personal injuries.