Cross-Country Comparative Analysis of Legislation and Court Rulings in Wrongful Birth Actions.

Negligent conduct by health care providers can result in medical malpractice injury sustained by parents denied their right to decide whether and when to have children. In this review of the international medicolegal literature, the authors present a comparative analysis of the law of medical negligence in this context and a discussion of the grounds for compensable injury resulting from medical error. The discussion is focused on the legal provisions for compensable injury awarded to the plaintiff (expectant mother, parents of the born child, and born child) and the types of injury various legal systems recognize in such cases. The aim of this article is to provide medical malpractice investigators and legal professionals with an overview of the birth cases.

Acciones de wrongful conception en Chile: una propuesta de fundamentación / Wrongful conception claims in Chile: a proposal for their justification / Ações de wrongful conception no Chile: uma proposta de fundamentação

Resumen: En el presente artículo, los autores tratan el tópico de admisibilidad en Chile de las acciones de responsabilidad civil de wrongful conception o anticoncepciones fallidas. Utilizando referencias hacia la práctica en el derecho comparado y al derecho internacional de los derechos humanos, los autores argumentan a favor de fundamentar su reparación en el derecho a la autodeterminación reproductiva de las mujeres.

Abstract: In this article, the authors refer to the wrongful conception claims, particularly the controversy of their admission in Chile. On the basis of comparative and human rights international law, the authors argue in favor of the women's right to reproductive self-determination as the foundation of their compensation.

Resumo: Neste artigo, os autores abordam o tema da admissibilidade no Chile das ações de responsabilidade civil de wrongful conception ou anticoncepções fracassadas. Com base em referências para a prática no direito comparado e no direito internacional dos direitos humanos, os autores argumentam a favor de fundamente sua reparação o direito à autodeterminação reprodutiva das mulheres.

Trends in medical malpractice claims in patients with cleft or craniofacial abnormalities in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To describe medical malpractice trends in patients with cleft and/or craniofacial abnormalities. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A modified Delphi approach was used to gather search terms. Search settings included "all jury verdicts and settlements", with jurisdiction of "all states" and "all federal courts" (by court and circuit). A retrospective review of WestLawNext legal database was conducted. Cases were excluded if they did not have a direct association from the patient's craniofacial anomaly or if they were not related to malpractice. RESULTS: Forty-two cases met inclusion criteria. Cases closed between 1981 and 2014 were included. The mean payment among claims with an indemnity payment was $3.9 million. Of cases brought to trial, 62% were in favor of the plaintiff. Amongst physicians named as co-defendants, pediatricians were most commonly named (24%), followed by plastic surgeons (16%), obstetricians (7.8%), and radiologists (7.8%). "Missed diagnosis" was the most common type of negligent claim (45%), followed by "surgical error" (21%), and "medication error" (17%). "Anoxic brain injury" resulted in the highest median indemnity payment for complication of patient management ($3.5 million), followed by "wrongful birth" ($1.03 million), and "minor physical injury" ($520,000). No specific type of negligent claim (p = 0.764) nor complication of patient management (p = 0.61) was associated with a greater indemnity payment. Mean indemnity payment was $920,000 prior to 2001 and $4.4 million after 2001 (p = 0.058). CONCLUSIONS: Mean indemnity payments were fourteen-fold greater in patients as compared to those in the overall population ($3.9 million versus $274,887) and seven-fold greater than those in the average pediatric population ($3.9 million versus $520,923). All healthcare providers should be aware of the associated medical malpractice claims that may be incurred when treating patients at risk for these conditions.

Damages claim for wrongful birth due to a systems failure.

Health professionals are well versed in the need to have systems in place which avoid mishaps happening to patients due to human error or breakdown in communications: for example, legal actions for damages for operations wrongfully performed on patients due to a failure in the identification process; surgery involving the wrong limb or organ; medications being given to the wrong patient. Hospitals set in place systems by which a patient's name and procedures to be performed are checked multiple times throughout the patient's stay. This process is particularly vital when a patient is undergoing a surgical procedure which will be performed under anaesthesia. Nevertheless, systems failures continue to occur resulting in claims for damages by affected patients.

The Perruche case and the issue of compensation for the consequences of medical error.

The case of Nicolas Perruche gave rise to a national debate in France over compensation for serious consequences of medical error. Ultimately, legislation was enacted banning the cause of action known in Anglo-American law as wrongful life, and an agency was established to adjudicate subsequent claims. As other developed nations continue to wrestle with rapid increases in the cost of professional liability coverage and health care in general, a review of the Perruche case and its influence on French health policy may advance the discussion beyond the current stalemate of hardened advocacy positions.

Aportes al debate sobre el aborto en Chile: derechos, género y bioética / Contributions to the debate about abortion in Chile: rights, gender and bioethics

El presente artículo es un ensayo reflexivo sobre el problema del aborto en Chile, a partir de la revisión del contexto histórico actual del país, así como un planteamiento crítico desde la perspectiva de género y bioética. El análisis se ha organizado en tres apartados: el contexto del aborto en Chile en el marco de los derechos humanos, las transformaciones en la intimidad y los aportes de la bioética y la perspectiva de género al debate. Por último, se presentan, a modo de reflexión, algunas de las tensiones existentes así como las interrogantes para posibles investigaciones.

This paper is a reflexive essay about the abortion problem in Chile, considering the current historical context as well as a critical approach from the gender and bioethical perspective. The analysis has been organized in three tracks: the abortion context in Chile in relation to the human rights, the changes in privacy and the contribution of bioethics and gender perspective to this debate. Finally, for reflection, some current tensions as well as questions for future studies are presented.

O presente artigo é um ensaio reflexivo sobre o problema do aborto no Chile, a partir da revisão do contexto histórico atual do país, assim como um posicionamento crítico a partir da perspectiva de gênero e bioética. A análise foi organizada em três momentos: o contexto do aborto no Chile, no marco dos direitos humanos, as transfoamrações na intimidade e as contribuiçãos da bioética e a perspectiva de gênero ao debabe. Por último, apresentam-se, em forma de reflexão, algumas das tensões existentes, assim como as interrogações para as possíveis pesquisas.

[Training, practice and the increasing dominance of legal aspects in ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology in Austria]. / Ausbildung, Ausübung und zunehmende Verrechtlichung des Ultraschalls in Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe in Osterreich.

During the past few years, the Austrian Supreme Court has hanged down two landmark rulings concerning the use of ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology. After a woman had died of ovarian carcinoma, her family sued the doctor for not having diagnosed the carcinoma by transvaginal ultrasound she had performed 8 months before the tumor was diagnosed. The plaintiffs won the case at the supreme court level, this making Austria the first country with implicit court-ordered ovarian cancer screening. A wrongful life case concerning a baby that had been born with bone deformities was also decided in favor of the plaintiffs, declaring ultrasound in pregnancy to be an instrument intended to help women decide whether or not to have an abortion. The impact of these two cases on the teaching and clinical application of ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology in Austria is discussed.

Confusiones y verdades sobre el aborto terapeútico / Confusions and truths on the abortion terapeútico

En el documento se aborda las confusiones y argumentos sobre verdades a cerca del aborto terapeútico. Los aspectos que se mencionan sobre el derecho a la vida incluyendo la integridad física y psiquica de las personas. Se enmarca en que la vida como un derecho inviolable de las personas. La integridad física y síquica de las personas son bienes jurídicos que la ley protege: cuando hay conflictos entre el embrión y/o feto y la mujer, debe privar la protección de la vida, y la integridad física y síquica de la mujer. También se analiza desde el punto humanista de que nadie podría asistir pasivamente ni a la violación, ni al embarazo forzado de una menor. Esto si es delito, por que aun con graves dispacidades,la ciencia puede permitir que un niño viva

El Debate feminista el alboroto del aborto información y conocimiento para hacer valer nuestros derechos: igualdad y derecho de decidir / The feminist Debate the din of the abortion information and knowledge to make be worth our rights: equality and right of deciding

Proporciona información ilustrada sobre el conflicto que provoca el tema del aborto, así como la condición de subordinación a la que estamos sujetas y el derecho que tenemos a un espacio propio en nuestros cuerpos, el derechoa la libertad de decidir

Embarazo y aborto en adolescentes / Pregnancy and abortion in adolescents

El aborto es un tema complejo, ya que ni siquiera existe una definición aceptada por todas las ramas del pensamiento humano; porque el aborto puede ocurrir bajo muchas circunstancias como se analiza en esta revisión: ético, moral, religioso, médico y legal. La falta de consenso hace que el aborto sea controversial y de gran interés a nivel mundial ya que tiene que ver con el antagonismo de dos derechos humanos fundamentales, el derecho a la vida y el derecho a la libre elección, pese a ello desde el punto de vista médico técnica si hay mayor consenso en cuanto a: definiciones de los diferentes tipos de aborto, los procedimientos y los criterios para su tratamiento, seguimiento o práctica. Palabras claves: Aborto, adolescente, morbimortalidad, embarazo en niñas, técnicas abortivas, complicaciones, derecho a la vida, derecho a la libre elección.