My sympathy lies with the family in the Feb. 5 Herald article, “Widow wins asbestos claim.” However, I’m disappointed the article didn’t clearly state all the facts on three specific points.
First, it wasn’t made clear that Halliburton had no connection to Dresser Industries, the offending company, until Halliburton bought them in the late 1990s, inheriting responsibility for all claims. Since the war in Iraq, many good people, employees of another Halliburton-purchased subsidiary, KBR, have lost their lives.
Secondly, asbestos stops or greatly slows fires. If it had been used in the World Trade Center towers, it might have prevented the collapse of those buildings, saving thousands of lives! Manufacturing or distributing asbestos is no more evil than doctors prescribing drugs. All drugs have side effects. In a free society, we should all be informed and allowed to choose and live with those choices. Each person should decide how much bad outweighs the good. To smoke? Hang-glide? Sugar or Splenda?
Lastly, no one wants to limit actual damages. If you experience a loss, you can sue for recovery, period. It is the highly subjective area of punitive damages that must be limited. Juries hear horror stories, like John Edwards “channeling” a baby being delivered, that ends up being brain-damaged. Who can deny the tragedy, with the wheelchair-bound child right in the courtroom? However, the science is questionable. Even if the doctor erred, should we try to “punish” him? Isn’t it enough to recover the loss, compensating for pain and suffering?
In Washington, skyrocketing insurance rates have already caused many obstetricians to stop practicing, depriving women of the very health care they need to prevent future tragedies. It’s a vicious cycle, it’s absurd, and it needs to stop. Reform has worked in California.
Philip Bickley
Everett
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