We are not the only ones who have pointed out that every new contraceptive for the last fifty years or so has been the subject of litigation and that it is not hard to see how the burden associated with such litigation, even if the manufacturer does well, discourages the development of new options. This
Despite our use of plural pronouns, almost all of our posts come from a single author. We occasionally have guest posts by multiple authors or a post that pairs one of us with a subject matter expert. For this post, however, all seven authors of the Blog are joining together.
We are just simple defense
Given the events of the last eleven months or so, we give ourselves and other legal commentators a preemptive pass for the following situation: you read a case, you think about how you would describe it, and you see that you have described similar cases in a similar way more than once. This could be
In very general terms, posts on specific court opinions fall into three categories: 1) ones we think are correct, 2) ones we think are incorrect, and 3) ones we think are mixed bags. Not terribly profound. Digging a bit deeper, we sometimes pick cases to discuss because we feel the need to vent about the
It is bad enough that the mass tort system in our country approximates a system of jackpot justice that, if it ever does justice among the parties, does so accidentally. But its wild inefficiencies and inconsistencies also have macro adverse effects on things like consumer choice and the overall healthcare system.
A recent law review article offers further support for our scurvy view of mass torts by explaining how the long, inglorious history of lawsuits against contraceptives has hurt consumers and society. The article is by Eric Lindenfeld, is entitled “The Unintended Pregnancy Crisis: A No-Fault Fix,” and it appears in the Spring 2016 issue of the Marquette Benefits & Social Welfare Law Review.
The article begins by outlining the unintended pregnancy crisis, which is caused at least in part by dissatisfaction with current methods of contraceptives. The article argues that the less-than-robust portfolio of available contraceptives is attributable to a stagnant research and development milieu for new contraceptives. That stagnant milieu is attributable, in turn, to the frenzy of mass torts against contraceptives. The article recites the history of litigation against the birth control pill, Dalkon Shield, Norplant, as well as more recent litigations, such Yaz/Yasmin, Mirena, and Essure. Not all of those litigations were particularly successful for plaintiffs. Not all possessed any merit. For example, the article cites evidence that Norplant turned out to be safe and efficacious – but the expense of the litigation and the enormous adverse publicity drove the product from the market. The real losers were consumers.Continue Reading Law Review Article Argues that Contraception Mass Torts Injured Consumers