Thursday, March 13, 2008

I offer a much better way to fund Virginia's birth-injury program ["Free Care for Life, if Money Holds Out" March 6]. Let's address escalating malpractice insurance premiums by asking Virginia's obstetricians to pay a fee for every unnecessary medical intervention recommended to healthy, low-risk women. These interventions cause complications that could be avoided without them.

I recently gave birth as a 40-year-old at 42 weeks gestation. With any local obstetrician, I would have been offered an amniocentesis because of my advanced age, induced labor at a week past due, an epidural and possibly a cesarean section.

My midwife, who respects birth's natural process, offered no interventions. My pregnancy concluded with a beautiful, healthy birth.

If doctors were financially responsible for the unneeded interventions they push, we could minimize the cause of malpractice lawsuits. If doctors continued to act irresponsibly by offering these interventions to healthy women, the required fees would pay for Virginia to keep its promise.

ANNIE HAROLD

Arlington