"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" Edmund Burke, 18th century Philospher.


"A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of it being right." Thomas Paine


"The welfare of humanity is always the alibi of tyrants." Albert Camus

"Choice is the essence of ethics: if there were no choice there would be no ethics, no good, no evil; good and evil have meaning only insofar as man is free to choose." Margaret Thatcher, March 14, 1977

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” ― Upton Sinclair



Explaining the Cause

I am a practicing obstetrician who is a strong supporter of patients rights to informed consent and refusal. I believe a patient has the right to choose her own path given true and not skewed informed consent. Following that tenet, just as a woman should be able to choose to have an elective c/section she should be able to choose not to have one, as well. The American system of hospital based obstetric practice has been eroding those choices for women for quite some time. Due to concerns of economics, expediency and fears of litigation women are being coerced to make choices that may not be in their best interest.

I have had a long relationship collaborating with midwives and find the midwifery model of care to be evidenced based and successful. I was well trained at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in the mid 80's to perform breech deliveries, twin deliveries, operative vaginal deliveries and VBACs, and despite evidence supporting their continued value, hospitals are "banning" these options. Organized medicine is also doing its best to restrict the availability of access to midwives.

Home birthing is not for everyone but informed choice is. Medical ethics dictates that doctors have a responsibility and a fiduciary duty to their patients to provide true, not skewed, informed consent and to respect patient autonomy in decision making. Countries with the best outcomes in birthing have collaboration between doctors and midwives. This is not what has been happening in the hospitals of America. Its time for a change and the return of common sense.

The midwifery model of care supports pregnancy as a normal function of the female body and gives a legitimate and reasonable alternative to the over-medicalized model of birth that dominates our culture. Through this blog I hope to do my part to illuminate what is wrong with our maternity care system and what is right with it. I do not expect all to agree and that is OK. We must all understand that given honest data it is not always reasonable to expect two people to come to the same conclusion. Our differences should be respected.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Does hospital position violate CHW Mission Statement?

This post is taken from the Catholic Healthcare West web site and titled: “Our Mission, Vision and Values”

http://www.chwhealth.org/Who_We_Are/Our_Mission_Vision_And_Values/STGSS047977

CHW's respect for values including the dignity of persons, care for the poor, the common good and responsible stewardship are essential in our ministry of healing. We invite our partners to understand and participate in realizing our values, many of which we believe we hold in common with our partners

The Professional-Patient Relationship
We respect the privacy of the physician-patient relationship. A person in need of health care and the professional health care provider who accepts that person as a patient enter into a relationship that requires, among other things, mutual respect, trust, honesty and appropriate confidentiality. The resulting free exchange of information must avoid manipulation, intimidation, condescension or judgment. Such a relationship enables the patient to disclose personal information needed for effective care and permits the health care provider to use his or her professional competence most effectively to maintain or restore the patient's health. Neither the health care professional nor the patient acts independently of the other -- both participate in the healing process.
Health care is patient-centered. Patients have the right to make medical treatment decisions (including accepting or rejecting treatment), which includes free and informed consent, access to medical and other information regarding their care, the right to make an advance directive and to name a surrogate decision maker. Medical treatment decisions may generate ethical dilemmas for health care providers, patients and their families or surrogate decision-makers. An ethics committee or some alternative form of ethical consultation will be available to assist by advising on particular ethical situations, by offering educational opportunities and by reviewing and recommending policies

Accountable to Our Communities
We’re extremely proud of all we do for our communities, and consider serving those in need to be a privilege, a calling, and a mandate.
Each year we continue our tradition of excellence in patient care, investing in our communities, and supporting the overall, long-term health of those communities.
But how exactly are we doing, you ask?
• Our annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report outlines the many examples and details of CHW’s commitment to sustaining its healing mission within the context of the critical issues confronting our nation and our planet. The report demonstrates our efforts to implement meaningful programs and also recognizes opportunities for improvement, with additional reporting on our economic impacts, our patient quality and safety initiatives. Read all about it.

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