Even when there’s no medical reason for it, some women prefer to give birth via C-section. But the procedure is riskier than vaginal birth. Should doctors comply with women’s wishes, or make them do what’s safer?
The BBC reports on new proposed guidelines for Britain’s National Institute for Clinical Excellence that state “For all women requesting a Caesarean section, if after discussion and offer of support, a vaginal birth is still not an acceptable option, offer a planned Caesarean section.” That’s a change from current guidelines, which state that “maternal request is not on its own an indication for Caesarean section” and “an individual clinician has the right to decline a request for Caesarean section in the absence of an identifiable reason.” Final guidelines won’t come out until November, and the C-section recommendations could change by then, but one doctor says the new rule just formalizes what’s already happening in hospitals, where obstetricians will often perform a C-section if a patient requests it. And Pauline McDonagh Hull of electivecesarean.com says, “I am very pleased that NICE is recognising and supporting informed women who choose a Caesarean birth plan. This is important and most welcome progress.”
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