Issues

Out of control lawsuit abuse puts mothers and babies at risk

“I never thought I’d live long enough to see health care for women and children get to this point.”
    -- Pat Sunday, nurse midwife, Philadelphia, PA, “More lawyers, fewer doctors”

Loss of access to health care is just one of the consequences suffered by Pennsylvanians as a result of the state’s out-of-control legal system. Nowhere is this perhaps more evident than in the Philadelphia area, which has witnessed the loss of 18 medical facilities as a result of frivolous medical liability lawsuits.

As lawsuits go unchecked and remain widespread, facilities and hospitals offering maternity and OB/GYN services for mothers and babies have closed, and doctors and high risk specialists like neurosurgeons and obstetricians have been forced to leave the state to practice in “friendlier” less litigious environments. This reduction of facilities and services for women and babies ultimately leads to increased mortality rates.

Developed by the Pacific Research Institute, the video “More lawyers, fewer doctors” presents compelling personal accounts of how Pennsylvania’s out-of-control legal climate is impacting patient safety, exemplifying the need for access to quality care, especially for patients that often does not have the luxury of time when they need care.

Watch the video.