We investigate the effect of so-called “apology laws” on physician procedure choice and birth outcomes. Advocates believe they may reduce litigation since a harmed person who receives an apology or explanation may be less likely to sue, all else equal. In the medical context, this could translate into a reduction in defensive medicine practiced. To investigate this possibility, we examine the impact of these laws on the use of C-sections, a common measure for gauging the practice of defensive medicine by OB/GYN physicians. We find consistent evidence that “partial” versions actually increase the use of C-sections, contrary to the intention of these laws. More specifically, we find it is older, presumably more established physicians who respond the most. Moreover, we also find some evidence that these particular laws also reduced the rate of preventable pregnancy complications, which suggests that the extra C-sections induced may not just represent defensive medicine (JEL I10, I18, K13).

中文翻译：

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第一，不伤害，第二，说对不起？调查新的侵权法改革的影响

我们研究了所谓的“道歉法”对医生手术选择和出生结果的影响。支持者认为，他们可能会减少诉讼，因为在其他条件相同的情况下，收到道歉或解释的受伤害者可能不太可能提起诉讼。在医学方面，这可能会导致防御性医学实践的减少。为了调查这种可能性，我们研究了这些法律对剖腹产使用的影响，剖腹产是衡量妇产科医生防御性医学实践的常用措施。我们发现一致的证据表明，“部分”版本实际上增加了剖腹产的使用，这与这些法律的意图相反。更具体地说，我们发现反应最多的是年龄较大、可能更成熟的医生。此外，我们还发现一些证据表明这些特定的法律还降低了可预防的妊娠并发症的发生率，这表明额外的剖腹产可能不仅仅代表防御性医学（JEL I10、I18、K13）。