..`bout birth'n no babies

An interesting thing happened in the news today. Actually, this "thing" happens every hour of every day in this country, but today it was reported.

(CNN) -- An estimated 2 million babies die within their first 24 hours each year worldwide and the United States has the second worst newborn mortality rate in the developed world, according to a new report.
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The report highlights the three areas it says have the most influence on child well-being: female education, presence of a trained attendant at birth and use of family planning services.

Now that sounds like common sense, or it should, to most of us. Women who receive better pre-natal care are at less risk of delivering premature and/or low birth weight infants. So it is with a heavy heart that I present the other piece of news from today:

Senate Defeats Effort to Limit Medical Malpractice Awards: WASHINGTON — The Senate blocked legislation Monday that would have limited jury awards in medical malpractice cases, shunting aside one of President Bush's most sought-after domestic policy objectives.
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The bills would have limited damages for pain and suffering to $250,000 in most instances, with an upper limit of $750,000 for cases involving multiple medical facilities. One bill would have applied to healthcare providers generally, while the other sought to shield obstetrician-gynecologists. Foes say such caps are unfair because they would fall disproportionately on people who suffer the most severe injuries.

Why is it so morbidly ironic that these two bits of news should appear within 24 hours of each other? Because appropriate prenatal and family planning care are extremely limited in this country due in part to the exorbitant costs of medical malpractice. Many ob/gyn's no longer practice obstetrics because the medical malpractice costs are prohibitive. There are areas in this country where you cannot find a practicing obstetrician to deliver your baby. Sadly, most of these areas are the same areas where mothers are predominately poor and under-educated.

Scarlett Says: We know so much about birth'n babies, so why aren't we leading the free world in pre-natal care?