Since its stratospheric rise in popularity, Facebook has became a place where many Americans, including Chicago, Illinois, residents can learn about what’s happening in other people’s lives. The social media giant allows users to set up online petitions, as well. One young couple in the midst of their own heartbreak has created an online petition to ban the use of forceps in all childbirth.
This online petition was set up after the young Texas couple lost their first born child in an alleged medical negligence incident that has been linked to forceps-assisted delivery. According to the parents, the doctor’s use of forceps during delivery led to their daughter’s fatal birth injuries. The parents claim that their baby suffered severe skull and spinal cord injuries after she was born on December 28. The infant died on New Year’s Day.
The mother has said that she requested a C-section delivery because of the baby’s large size, but that her obstetrician refused her request. After the mother’s labor was induced, the doctor allegedly used forceps to assist with the delivery. During the process, the child’s grandmother claims that she heard the sound of the baby’s skull being crushed. The baby was eventually delivered through an emergency C-section and was transported to another hospital. The family is now considering filing a legal action against the doctor.
Doctors must treat the lives of a mother and the child with the utmost urgency, regardless of the methods used to assist with delivery. They can be potentially liable, especially if their carelessness results in a fatality. In Illinois, a fatal birth injury is just one of the situations that can result in a Chicago medical malpractice case. A claim like this may allow the victims of medical error to hold the doctor legally responsible for their losses.
Source: CBS Local Houston, “Family: Doctor Using Forceps During Delivery Crushed Baby’s Skull, Severed Spinal Cord,” Jan. 7, 2014