As an obstetrician who finds delivering babies to be one of the most gratifying and fulfilling things in my life, I must warn our community that unless there are major reforms made in our medical liability system, many obstetricians will be forced out of practice.

The medical liability insurance crisis is the number one topic of conversation among physicians, particularly those handling high-risk patients including obstetrics. Everyone agrees that people who have been damaged by medical mistakes are entitled to reasonable and fair economic compensation. But there is a difference between legitimate compensation and the huge sums that are routinely awarded by juries who are emotionally manipulated by skillful trial lawyers who stand to gain a major percentage of these awards.

Please call Assemblyman David Sidikman at 822-5590 and urge him to fix our broken medical liability laws so that doctors can continue to treat patients in an atmosphere free of intimidation.

David Bergman, M.D.