Attorney
- Dennis Donnelly
Spring 1995
This
lawsuit involved the controversial issue of a Mother's "right
to terminate a pregnancy" when she learns that she will give birth
to a child with birth defects - in this case a child born with
Down Syndrome in 1990.
Blume Goldfaden
principal Dennis Donnelly characterized the case as a "wrongful
birth lawsuit." Medical negligence deprived the parents of exercising
all the options available to them regarding the extra-ordinary
medical therapy and emotional distress of a Down Syndrome child.
The Mother's
OB/GYN forgot to recommend pre-natal screening tests during the
time when the tests would have detected the birth defect. The
child's Mother asked for the tests, but the Doctor did not recommend
the standard Alpha Feta Protein (AFP) test at the appropriate
time.
In addition
to the parents' emotional suffering, the future holds many therapeutic
expenses, possibly institutionalizing the child and the fact that
Down Syndrome children also have a propensity to develop childhood
Leukemia. Donnelly settled the case for $1 Million. |