Letters to the Editor, Feb. 7

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, Feb. 7

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Malpractice crisis demands resolution
To the editor:
   
Following is an open letter to our state legislators and to all New Jersey citizens:
   
As a local pediatrician, I find that the malpractice crisis affects me less directly than it does most medical and surgical sub-specialists in New Jersey; yet, I must write regarding why I am concerned. I care for children who sometimes require the skills of surgical, oncological, cardiac and anesthesiology sub-specialists. I personally know of a wonderful Princeton obstetrician who retired prematurely this year because he could not justify the premiums. I fear several more very caring, competent obstetricians will soon follow his lead because of the emotional and financial cost of the constant threat of recurrent trivial lawsuits and the resultant escalations of premiums.
   I do not doubt the many obstetricians and nurse midwives, the two local neurosurgeons and the many orthopedic surgeons and anesthesiologists who are finding the escalating fees too onerous to continue serving my pediatric patients and families. I am distressed how some spokespersons for the local media and the state trial lawyers have trivialized this as "whining by wealthy physicians, greed of insurance companies and unfair to patients." I truly resent the glossy ads and misrepresentation of facts that the patients will suffer if there is a cap on pain and suffering.
   While I am not a lawyer, I believe the rights of compensation for loss of function, wages and the need for continuing care due to poor medical care or poor outcome (even with good care) are preserved in all versions currently introduced in the Legislature. I am afraid we will have plenty of trial lawyers in the future but not enough sub-specialists to have the availability of good medical care.
   I appreciate the efforts you have made to remedy this impending disaster of loss of skilled specialists in New Jersey; I think I can understand your dismay that my colleagues are demonstrating. I believe, contrary to some claims, that by demonstrating, my colleagues are not abandoning their Hippocratic Oath — they will still render any emergency care needed. They just want fellow citizens to realize how medical care will be impacted in the future without relief.
   Because I did not want the children and the families that I care for to needlessly suffer, I did not restrict care. But for these exact reasons, because I do not want children or families to needlessly suffer in the future, I join my medical colleagues at the State House steps in support of their request for needed reform and sign the following request to you:
   New Jersey needs effective medical liability reform that protects the rights of both patients and physicians. As a patient and a voter, I support tort reform for the medical liability insurance system. Expensive and unavailable medical liability insurance is threatening doctors’ practices around the state. Good doctors are being driven out of business by a broken legal system. It is time for New Jersey legislators to pass tort reform to fix this system and end this crisis. The medical liability system needs to be fixed according to the guidelines offered by the New Jersey Hospital Association and the Medical Society of New Jersey.
Timothy J. Patrick-Miller, M.D.
The Pediatric Group
Mount Lucas Road
Princeton
Mary Robinson deserves praise
To the editor:
   
Is it a mere coincidence that Andrew Srulevitch, director of the UN Watch of the American Jewish Committee, denigrates Mary Robinson in a Guest Opinion column (The Packet, Feb. 4) just days before she is scheduled to deliver a lecture at Princeton University?
   Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland, was appointed in 1997 as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. She worked passionately and tirelessly against human rights abuses the world over. It was her criticism of the human rights violations committed by the Israeli Army, settlers and government in the Occupied Territories that brought down on her the wrath of the pro-Israeli hawks in the Bush administration and organizations such as the American Jewish Committee. They have been unwavering supporters of the extreme policies of the Israeli government against the Palestinians. Critics of these policies are branded as anti-Semites. The fact that Ms. Robinson also condemned, in her reports, the human right violation committed by the Palestinian suicide bombers was glossed over. Pressure from the pro-Israeli lobby was instrumental in blocking her reappointment as High Commissioner in 2002.
   Now, regarding the specific complaints leveled against Ms. Robinson in the Guest Opinion column: On the Durban Conference (described as disastrous by Mr. Srulevitch), Ms. Robinson, in an interview with Ian Williams in Salon.com, stated, "I urged and begged the U.S. and Israel to stay. I told them that all the draft language, which was unacceptable, would come out — and it did." Regarding the passages from Ms. Robinson’s reports to the UN on the sieges of President Arafat’s compound and the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, they seem to be factual. Finally Mr. Srulevitch attempts to buttress his case against Ms. Robinson by singling out of all the countries that lauded Ms. Robinson’s testimony as balanced and courageous those countries that are leading violators of human rights. Surely we could find many countries that do not violate human rights and still admire Mary Robinson for her courageous work on behalf of the oppressed people of the world.
Ben Abeles
Deer Path
Princeton
Route 1 bus stop endangers lives
To the editor:
   
In December, Pathmark employee Raymond Dittbrenner was tragically killed as he disembarked from a NJTransit bus on Route 1. Even though the Pathmark is about to close its doors, this does not change the fact that many bus passengers are still being dropped off in similar spots all along Route 1. These people, too, are scrambling for their lives every day.
   It is incredible that NJTransit simply lets bus passengers off onto Route 1. This forces them to cross several lanes of traffic on foot, without a crosswalk, on one of New Jersey’s most dangerous highways. We all shop at the "box malls" and rely on the employees to help us, so why, then, do we make them risk their lives for a job? Many times I have seen people darting through the cars on Route 1. This shouldn’t be so.
   We must work to provide a safe way for the buses to let people off, especially those traveling north from Trenton. Who authorized a bus stop there anyway? We have to do better than this, and stop endangering lives. A good man lost his life needlessly. Let’s honor his legacy and make sure it cannot happen again.
Deborah A. Kaple
Prospect Avenue
Princeton
Deer debate is ludicrous, infantile
To the editor:
   
I have watched over the past several years with some interest the great and funny and mortifying debate over what to do with the deer infestation in the central New Jersey area. Yes, I did say infestation. By definition (Webster’s, of course) infestation is "to spread in or overrun in large numbers so as to be harmful or unpleasant." We certainly have a deer infestation in the Princeton/Montgomery area. I see more carcasses on the roads in and around Princeton in one week than I have in an entire year in Monmouth County, where I lived prior to moving to this area.
   It seems that the very vociferous minority of animal rights zealots are always horrified or appalled over something that’s not going their way. This latest turn of events just illustrates the point. How in the world can the animal rights extremists (activists, if you wish) be surprised by the hunting advocates’ petition to hunt in Princeton? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to reasonably determine that hunters joined the fray not to protect deer but to make sure that there would be adequate targets for their sport. They want to have a little fun and put meat on the table.
   Let’s get real! We have an infestation of deer in this area. Yes, they are beautiful. I especially love slamming on my brakes to watch a herd cross the road. My wife just loves watching them come into our yard to feed on our new shrubs. They’re so cute! The extremists say, "Sterilize the deer." That does not reduce the herd size or eliminate the problem. Two of my co-workers were struck by deer while driving to work last week. You can’t talk to anyone in this area without hearing about the near misses or accidents caused by deer.
   It is unfortunate that such a small group of people have so much money and time on their hands that they have effectively brought this very serious health and safety issue to a complete halt. Is there an advocacy group out there promoting human safety? Am I the only one who thinks this whole debate is ludicrous and infantile? Perhaps we need a road-safety advocacy to bring counter lawsuits against the Deer Alliance for their role in slowing the process of deer herd reduction. I’m sure there are enough people out there who have suffered injuries or damaged vehicles from deer accidents to make a very effective and noisy counter protest.
   As for me, I have not hunted or killed an animal in over 30 years, but I’m willing to make an exception if Princeton will open up its public lands to hunting again. Bring back White Buffalo!
Al King
Sunset Avenue
Griggstown