"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, June 2, 2012

ACOG President Respects Choice

Below is a blog from ACOG President James Breeden published this week. On the heels of my article about cognitive dissonance I thought it appropriate to post Dr. Breeden's honest thoughts on collaboration, choice and individuality of decision making. Kudos to Dr. Breeden. While he may not agree with every choice a woman makes nor every option I and many midwives may offer he respects our differences and expresses the ethical position obstetricians should take. This statement will be read by the leadership of the Ventura County Hospitals than ban choice. Hopefully it will not be so easily dismissed. Dr. F http://acogpresident.org/tag/home-birth/ Choosing a Hospital or Home Birth Posted on May 31, 2012 Home or hospital? The question of where to give birth is a topic of ongoing discussion among expectant moms, doctors, midwives, and home birth advocates. As the number of women who give birth at home increases, the sometimes heated debate about which is safer for women, babies, and families will surely continue. The author of a recent New York Times Magazine article wrote “It is unfortunate that the choices and the rhetoric around birth—like many of the choices and rhetoric around motherhood in general—are so polarized.” It’s a big decision. A woman’s health and risk factors should be central considerations in deciding on a birth venue. Although studies have shown that absolute risks of planned home birth are low, home births don’t always go as planned. Planned home birth is associated with increased risk of neonatal death when compared with planned hospital birth. Risks also increase in women with certain medical conditions such as hypertension, breech presentation, or prior cesarean deliveries, or in births where there are inadequately trained attendants. It is important for any woman choosing home birth to have a certified nurse-midwife, certified midwife, or physician practicing within an integrated and regulated health system with ready access to consultation and a plan for safe and quick transportation to a hospital in case of an emergency. While ACOG believes that hospitals and birthing centers are the safest place for labor and delivery, we respect a woman’s right to make a medically informed decision about her birth experience. ACOG also continues to support collaborative practices between physicians and certified nurse-midwives/certified midwives to further improve outcomes for pregnant women and their babies. Ultimately, women have a choice in where to give birth. As ob-gyns, it’s our job to educate our patients on the risks and benefits of hospital vs. home delivery and help them make the best decision for themselves and their families. —James T. Breeden, MD, ACOG President
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