Now here's the horrible kicker: A Swedish report released in December found emergency cesarean delivery increased the odds of cerebral palsy by a statistically significant 80 percent.

It's bad for the mother, too. Another 2006 study, in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, found that moms with cesareans had more than three-and-a-half times the chance of dying shortly after childbirth than those who had vaginal delivery.

But scientific reality is but a minor hurdle to slick plaintiffs' lawyers like Edwards. Insurance companies fork over massive payments to plaintiffs and their lawyers, then pass the costs on to doctors in malpractice fees. In one state, annual Ob/gyn malpractice premiums have reached $250,000.

Many doctors are fleeing the practice as fast as they can tie off that last umbilical cord. One in seven of fellows of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have quit obstetrics and many rural areas now have no such doctors.

Further, in what's called "defensive medicine," lawsuit fears increased the number of "When in doubt, cut it out" C-sections. Cesareans in the U.S. had begun dropping in the late 1980s, going as low as 22 percent of deliveries. As Edwards and friends spread fear across the Ob/gyn land, rates have since climbed to 30.2 percent, a record high for the nation.There are probably many reasons for the increased popularity of C-sections, including convenience and avoiding the pain of labor Dr. Bruce Flamm, clinical professor of Ob/gyn at UC Irvine, told me. Still, "The biggest reason is probably the litigation issue" he said.Photos released by the Edwards campaign often feature him surrounded by his wife and kids. No doubt he loves them very much. It's too bad he thinks so little of the families of others.