Judges ruling allows cerebral palsy lawsuit to proceed

The highest court in Ontario, Canada, ruled that newborn babies have the right to sue obstetricians who caused injuries during birth, which can lead to a number of conditions including cerebral palsy.

The decision from the Ontario Court of Appeal came in connection to a nine-year-old boy, Kevin Liebig, who suffers from cerebral palsy, which his family alleges was caused by negligence during his delivery, according to the Record. The panel of five judges agreed that there was enough case history thats holds negligent medical professionals for an infant's birth injuries.

Specifically, the family sued three obstetricians, four nurses and a hospital, claiming that the mother, Susan Liebig, was given too much of the drug oxytocin to speed up labor and then was not monitored correctly.

The Liebig family was pleased with decision of the court.

"We're thankful the judges see it the way we see it. Obstetricians are there to help both the mom and the fetus. That's what their job is," Susan Liebig told the news source. "It doesn't mean it's a slam dunk for us. There's still a long road ahead," she said referring to the trial. "But at least we're able to move ahead without this big cloud hanging over us."

Two to three children in every 1,000 have cerebral palsy, according to the March of Dimes.