What are 'birth claims'?

Question

There's a scene in the British comedy, League of Gentlemen, where Pauline threatens Mickey that she will cut off his benefits and then she says "yeah!... BIRTH CLAIMS." Always puzzled me, what are they?

Answer 1

These suits are brought by the parents of a disabled child against a physician who failed to test for or diagnose the disability prior to birth. The injury the parents claim is the physician denied them the opportunity to abortion the child, which they would have done had they known about the disability.