Free Republic

July 11, 2004 Obstetrics is failing to draw new doctors Trend: Malpractice insurance costs, gender issues and lifestyle are some of the concerns. By Jonathan Bor Sun Staff With only a year left in her training as an obstetrician-gynecologist, Dr. Shahrzade Tabibi has no regrets about entering a field that some veterans say is being ravaged by the cost of malpractice insurance. "It might sound corny, but being the first person in the world to hold a little new baby is pretty incredible and a privilege I hope I deserve," said Tabibi, a fourth-year resident at the University of Maryland...

Doctors reassured Randi Rosenberg there was no reason to fear natural childbirth _ she was in fine shape. But she so wanted to skip labor with her first baby that she switched doctors to get an elective Caesarean section. It's still very rare _ and intensely controversial _ but more expectant mothers seem to be choosing C-sections even when there's no clear medical need. So says a new study that, by counting insurance claims data, estimates some 80,000 women had preplanned, elective C-sections in 2002, up from an estimate of just under 63,000 the year before. That's a tiny fraction...

Anti-abortionists invade doctors' meeting By Peggy Peck United Press International Published 5/5/2004 8:58 AM PHILADELPHIA, May 4 (UPI) -- A small contingent of anti-abortion protestors invaded a meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tuesday, an action the organization's leader called an act of domestic terrorism. The protestors had been camped outside Philadelphia's convention center since the college opened its meeting Sunday. About a half-dozen protestors walked into a meeting session, titled "Innovations in Contraception and Abortion." They somehow penetrated the meeting's private security personnel and forced their way into the gathering. Witnesses said the protestors pushed aside...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Republicans are planning a fresh effort to limit medical malpractice awards, focusing on doctors who stop delivering babies because of soaring insurance bills. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is considering forcing a vote on legislation that would cap awards only for obstetricians and gynecologists just after the Senate returns from recess on Feb. 23, an aide said Thursday. Democrats last year blocked a bill that would have limited damages across a range of cases. Frist said recently a broad bill would again be defeated. "I will use whatever creative strategic things I can to pass legislation....

Suppose you couldn't raise prices, you couldn't control expenses, and you were morally obligated to meet the needs of customers who are eager to sue if anything goes wrong. Suppose you were a group of doctors trying to birth babies in the 21st century. In seven days their medical practice could be forced to shut down, and the sheer absurdity of the situation has put doctors Richard Levine and Michael Faust in a slightly silly mood. Seated in Faust's cramped office overlooking the hills of northwestern New Jersey, the two managing partners of Valley Center for Women's Health are still...

SEATTLE – More alleged victims are coming forward in the case against a Western Washington ob-gyn. Wednesday night, KING 5 News spoke to Josie Campbell, a woman who claims Dr. Charles Momah raped her in an exam room. She said she was a patient of Dr. Momah for five years. Her story is similar to the other alleged victims who have come forward. Following doctor’s orders, she had four to six pelvic exams per month, and it was during the last exam when she claims she was attacked. Campbell said the rape happened in July 2000 during an examination at...