Erratum
In a letter to the editor (3 Aug., p. 447), Yvonne Brackbill writes (p. 448, column 2, line 11), "In the state of New York, two recent Court of Appeals decisions (27) found physicians negligent in failing to advise, or advise accurately, the pregnant women who consulted them to obtain such information." Reference 27 is to "Becker vs. Schwartz, 46 N.Y. 2nd Ser., 401 (1979); Park vs. Chessin, ibid." This statement is not correct. The Court of Appeals did not, in these cases, rule on negligence or lack thereof on the part of the physicians. The decisions were that, under certain circumstances, parents had the right to bring an action to determine whether they had received pertinent information. The court in no way discussed the validity of the particular claims in either case.
The Park vs. Chessin case was tried after the Court of Appeals decision, and the defendent physicians, including Chessin, were found not negligent. The Becker vs. Schwartz case is still awaiting trial.
