KIE: Annas criticizes the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) for issuing a May 1985 "Alert" to its members concerning the "Professional liability implications of AFP [alpha-fetoprotein] tests" in pregnant women to detect fetal neural tube defects. Although commercial test kits for detecting elevated levels of maternal serum AFP were approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1983, ACOG has opposed their routine use on the grounds that the high incidence of false positive results makes it inadvisable to use the test in pregnant women who do not have access to high-quality follow-up tests and counseling. Annas faults ACOG for overreacting to the malpractice litigation implications of AFP screening, when physician energies should be directed instead toward setting up a high-quality screening system that is available to all patients regardless of economic status or source of payment.