Will medicine be strangled in the law?
Schwartz, H.
Trustee the Journal for Hospital Governing Boards 28(5): 40
1975
ISSN/ISBN: 0041-3674 PMID: 10238252 Document Number: 84716
The manslaughter conviction of Dr. Kenneth C. Edelin for performing an abortion produced a national wave of anger than made that physician into a hero. The Supreme Court declared in 1973 that in the early months of pregnancy, abortion is a matter for decision simply between each patient and her doctor. Justification for government interventions is the desire to protect people to achieve seemingly positive ends such as better cost control and increased efficiency. Nursing home scandals show what happens when government money is spent unchecked. Many laws passed regarding the medical profession are done so out of ignorance. The proliferation of controls and safeguards in the medical area threatens the conduct of medical care. One reason is the incredible complexity of the medical system, and the inability of legislators to forsee the consequences of their intervention.