Todd Tiahrt: “I believe my colleagues will be interested in Dr. Birnbach's testimony related to partial birth abortions. Mr. Chairman…”

“I believe my colleagues will be interested in Dr. Birnbach's testimony related to partial birth abortions. Mr. Chairman, members of the subcommittee, my name is David Birnbach, M.D., and I am presently the director of obstetric anesthesiology at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, a teaching hospital of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. I am also president-elect of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology, the society which represents my subspecialty. I am here today to take issue with the previous testimony before committees of the Congress that suggests that anesthesia causes fetal demise. I believe that I am qualified to address this issue because I am a practicing obstetric anesthesiologist. Since completing my anesthesiology and obstetric anesthesiology training at Harvard University, I have administered analgesia to more than 5,000 women in labor and anesthesia to over 1,000 women undergoing caesarean section.”