THE WASHINGTON POST Sunday, November 12,1978  
WHEN ROBERT and Juanita Silvia had their sixth child in February 1973, the ÛÏblessed eventÛ was decidedly a mixed blessing. In fact, it was a bit of a jolt, because 16 months earlier Robert had a vasectomy that he thought made him sterile.</br></br>The daughter born that day is in kindergarten and, the parents say. is a well-loved, ÛÏwantedÛ child. Nevertheless, the North Attleboro, Mass., couple went to court recently ÛÓ as others in similar circumstances have done ÛÓ and sued Dr. Robert N. Hayward of Foxboro who had performed the vasectomy.</br></br>Although their case is far from unique, such cases are almost always controversial. And in this case, like many others, the hottest issue is not the nature of the surgery itself nor how it was done, but the kind of damages the suit seeks.</br></br>The SilviasÛª suit not only asked the doctor to pay the medical costs of the unwanted pregnancy and delivery; it did not stop with compensation for the pain and inconvenience the pregnancy entailed.</br></br>Their claim plunged well beyond to try to force the doctor to pay the estimated cost of raising the girl until she reaches 18, the age at which a parentÛªs legal obligations to the child cease.