If you live in the UK, you’re probably aware of the move to reduce the number of caesarean sections being performed. It should be an emergency procedure, and not just an option for any woman who doesn’t want to give birth naturally.
With this in mind, we were bemused to read of a case in the USA of a mother who is being charged with murder because she followed the UK guidelines and declined a caesarean.
One of the twins she was expecting died because she refused a caesarean. To be fair, she had been advised by doctors to have the caesarean as they feared for the safety of the child. It’s the first time in Utah, where the woman lives, that such a case has been instigated.
The new guidelines in the UK are welcome, but they do create a legal grey area, as the Utah case demonstrates.