Dr Trevor Mudge, AMA Vice President, Radio 2SM

MUDGE: G'Day.

GOLDMAN: So, Trevor, what are your thoughts about all of this?

MUDGE: I think the important thing is that before the Netball Association do anything, they ought to take some expert advice, which is what they're suggesting, and I think their primary concern is about the medical and legal responsibility should something go wrong with somebody's pregnancy when they're playing netball. The problem with that is that pregnant women are going to lose the right to do anything. They're going to lose the right to have a job, they're going to lose the right to participate in sport, and all because of medical and legal concern. The science is that sporting activity has never been shown to be harmful.

GOLDMAN: Some people might say, well, you know, unborn babies are very well protected in the womb and the risks are not that great. In fact that's your statement, but surely any risk is too great a risk. Can you be too careful?

MUDGE: Well, we're becoming very risk adverse in society, aren't we? Life is not without its risk and you have to weigh up the risks and the benefits. I mean, what are we to do: wrap pregnant women in cotton wool from the time they conceive to the time they give birth? It just is not possible.

GOLDMAN: I know a pregnant woman, any pregnant women that I've known over the years, they don't want to be that, do they? They'd rather get out and pursue their normal interest and their life and their work and their sport without being stopped from doing it.

MUDGE: They need to be able to. I mean, to continue to say to pregnant women don't do that you might harm the baby chips away at their confidence to make any decisions in life and once you have a new baby the one thing that you need is confidence to make your own decisions.

GOLDMAN: True story.

MUDGE: So that we are actually doing pregnant women a lot of harm in my view, by telling them that they mustn't do this and they mustn't do that. If there's good evidence that they're running a significant risk by doing something then, yes, you have to present them with the evidence on that risk and let them decide whether the benefits outweigh the risk for them as an individual.

GOLDMAN: So what you're saying, the evidence is definitely not there at the moment?

MUDGE: The evidence is not there.

GOLDMAN: I know we've become a very litigious society, what about litigation in the event that an unborn child's been harmed while the mother was engaged in sport? Do you think it would come to that?

MUDGE: Oh, absolutely. It has elsewhere in the world and it's not just obstetricians who are being sued for adverse outcomes in pregnant women.

GOLDMAN: So, in the end, it might not have anything to do with us, it might be the insurance companies and the various sporting bodies who say, right, we cannot have pregnant women playing any sport.

MUDGE: Well, spare us. In my view, we have to prevent that happening. We have to maintain pregnant women's rights to participate in whatever activity they choose and that they're the ones who should be able to weigh up the risk and benefits, indeed if there are any risks. And for sporting activities there are lots of benefits and there are no measurable signs of scientific risks.

GOLDMAN: I've got to agree with you. Well done. Thanks for talking, Trevor.

MUDGE: Thanks.

Ends