Should medical malpractice lawsuits be capped?

United States
January 3, 2011 9:35pm CST
Do you believe there should be a cap on medical malpractice suits, or do you believe that the legal system itself (judge and jury) should decide all amounts?
1 response
• United States
4 Jan 11
At first I was going to say yes, there should be a cap, simply because people get so greedy and stupid with lawsuits. People sue for millions of dollars when they are only out $2000 and that's not right. HOWEVER... Medical, such a complex situation. People won't want to be doctors if they're always working in terror of making any kind of mistake - doctors are human and no human is always right. But of course, being a doctor means you MUST take responsibility for human life and the quality of that life. The question's way too hard to decide. I think there should be a cap but I can't imagine how to put a price on a life lost due to a medical mistake. And I don't see how a doctor can be required to perform superhumanly at all times either. Judges and juries are too unreliable to be righteous, reasonable, or fair. If the doctor is gorgeous, he or she will "win"; if the patient or survivor is charming or heart-wrenching enough, he or she will "win". Perhaps standard amounts should be set; if a deviation from that amount is requested, there should be evidence presented as to why.