I take some issue with Ms. Overgard on the cause of the increase in C-sections that occurred in the 1980s. I've been practicing law for 40 years. Thirty-eight of those years have been devoted to defending the medical profession in malpractice cases. The threat of lawsuits, alleging failure to do a c-section when there are signs of fetal distress or when there are complications in the delivery, has impacted the c-section rate. If you're an OB with $1,000,000 in insurance coverage and you know that a bad outcome will result in a judgment several times your insurance limits, you'll be more inclined to proceed to c-section. Of course, this isn't the only reason. However, I don't think it's fair to discuss the c-section rate without also discussing the impact of malpractice liability for allegedly failing to do a timely c-section.

Again, Meghan, thanks for bring us an interesting interviewee and a stimulating discussion.