Was the obstetric care negligent?

Considerations of safety and risk are more complex in day-to-day care than they sometimes seem in theoretical debate. In the series “Moot Point”, the Journal publishes cases – closely based on actual fact in which fine points of judgement arise. The paper which follows relates to events which occurred in Great Britain in 1980, but the case to which they gave rise came to trial only in 1989. The author is a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and her paper appears simultaneously in the Journal of the Medical Defence Union, London. Reactions from readers - both as to the rights and wrongs of the case and the way in which it was handled judicially (and might have been handled under any other system of law or compensation) – are invited. The judgement which was actually passed, as well as the author's own comments on the case will be found on page 149 of this issue.