Re: Unassisted home birth
From: Anna Meenan, MD (annam@uic.edu)
Mon Oct 23 09:58:37 2000
Agree with your assessment of greater emphasis on personal
responsibility outside the US. I was amazed by some of the stuff we saw
in Europe two years ago. Took my kids to an amusement park in Denmark.
There was a field there full of trampolines stretched over deep holes in
the ground. No guardrails, no spotters, no supervision at all. At
Tivoli, the roller coasters didn't even come to a full stop in the
station. The people just piled on and off the moving trains. Yikes! I
would guess the lawyer population in Denmark is rather small.
--
Anna Meenan, MD FAAFP
At Fri, 20 Oct 2000, Richard Chudacoff, MD wrote:
>
>Actually, under MY plan, no they are not entitled to assistance. At what
>point are individuals responsible for there own actions? You smoke
>cigarettes and know dang well the risks of lung disease. Should I have to
>pay your medical bills? You drive a car without a seat belt and get thrown
>through the windshield. Should I pay for your rehab? Same with riding a
>motorcycle or bike without a helmet, or putting hot coffee between your legs
>while you drive. Life is a risk-benefit ratio. The benefit of riding a
>motorcycle without a helmet is having the wind blow through your hair. The
>risk of riding a motorcycle without a helmet is having your brains scattered
>on the road. Accept the risks, fine. But don't make me pay for the
>consequences.
>
>I'll relate a story: I sailed into a marina in Spain with a Spanish friend
>of mine. The marina was beautiful, and as we walked along the boardwalk,
>parking lot on the left, breakwater on the right with a 10-foot drop, I
>mentioned the beauty of the site. Jacobo told me it was an American design.
>When I told him that in America the marina would be lined with a chained
>link fence he asked me why.
>
>"Well, if anyone fell onto the rocks they would sue and own the marina," I
>replied.
>
>'Oh," he said. "If anyone fell onto the rocks is Spain they'd be an idiot."
>
>When are we going to be able to be idiots again, taking responsibility for
>our decisions and the consequences for our decisions, rather than require
>some other entity to be the responsible party? You want to play, fine. If
>you lose, don't whine.
>
>Rick
>
>Don't blame me, I vote Libertarian.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: ob-gyn-l@obgyn.net [mailto:ob-gyn-l@obgyn.net]On Behalf Of Cheri Van
>Hoover
>Sent: Friday, October 20, 2000 8:55 AM
>To: Multiple recipients of list OB-GYN-L
>Subject: Re: Unassisted home birth
>
>Ah, that slippery ethical slope again. And what about those who choose not
>to
>have AFP testing or decline amnio after age 35? Or those who have this
>testing,
>but choose not to abort children with defects? Are they entitled to
>assistance
>under your plan? What if we take it outside the realm of women's bodies and
>obstetrics? Smokers? Motorcycle riders (with/without helmets)? Who do we
>offer aid to and where do we withhold it? Who decides which risks are
>acceptable in life and which values should be economically enforced?
>
>Cheri Van Hoover, CNM
>San Francisco, CA
