COLUMBIA--Lawmakers and people fighting a cap on malpractice suit verdicts are angry about comments made by a Columbia doctor about a Wisconsin woman who lost her breasts because of a medical mistake.

"She did not lose her life, and with the plastic surgery, she'll have breast reconstruction better than she had before. It won't be National Geographic, hanging to her knees. It'll be nice, firm breasts," Dr. Harry J. Metropol told a House Judiciary subcommittee last week.

His comments came after cap opponents raised the case of Linda McDougal, who lost her breasts last year after being misdiagnosed with breast cancer. Since then, although she hasn't yet filed a lawsuit herself, she has become a vocal national critic of rules that would limit where people can sue and how much they can collect.

"A lot of people were shocked by what (Metropol) said," state Rep. Scott Talley, R-Moore, said. The unnecessary surgery "was a horrible incident, and making light of it was not appropriate."

Metropol repeated his comments to The (Columbia) State newspaper and denied they were insensitive.

"This isn't a beauty contest; it's about the survival of South Carolina," he said of doctors' rising malpractice insurance rates and the need for a cap on jury awards.

Metropol said he has prac-ticed medicine in Columbia for 38 years, including time as chief of surgery at Palmetto Bap-tist. However, hospital system spokeswoman Tammie Epps said Tuesday that Metropol is not on the organization's payroll as a consultant nor in any other capacity.

Metropol also wondered why his comments were insensitive since McDougal wasn't in the room, the newspaper reported.

McDougal, who lives in Wisconsin, is recovering from her first reconstructive surgery, said her lawyer, Chris Messerly.

Speaking from his law firm's Minneapolis office Monday, Messerly called Metropol's remarks "incredibly insensitive."

"Linda has 31 inches of scars on her chest, and they removed her nipples," he said. "There is no way surgery will restore her."

South Carolina is one of nearly two dozen states whose lawmakers are considering bills to change civil litigation laws. Congress has its own version of a bill, backed by President Bush.