Informed Consent in the Obstetrical Context: Do Women have a Right to Caesarean Section?

It is recognized that patients have a right to make informed decisions about their medical care. Yet somehow, when it comes to the deciding between a vaginal birth and a caesarean section, in the past it has been acceptable for a physician to refuse a patient’s request if it was not, in the doctor’s opinion, medically necessary. Lindsay McGivern reviews recent policy developments that acknowledge that a woman’s preferences should be taken into consideration.