Should The Decision Of Delivering A Child Or The Mother

Should the decision of delivering a child vaginally or cesarean reside in the physician or the mother? Afterall, it is the mother who will be enduring the pain of labor, possible complications, or postsurgical recovery. Many women who want c-sections believe it should be illegal to make someone go through labor. Is it ethically appropriate to perform a cesarean delivery on a maternal request at term in an otherwise uncomplicated pregnancy because of the risks of surgery (American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2013)? In labor and delivery, we never know when a baby may take a turn for the worse, so scheduling a safe c-section could fix that. These days many women are choosing to have surgery over the traditional†¦show more content†¦Still, in 1970, only 5% of infants were born via c-section (Lake, 2012). Nowadays, many women have many concerns of vaginally delivering their children. Many complications may result during a vaginal birth. Therefore, many women opt for a c-section. Most obstetricians disagree that women should not attempt vaginal delivery. This recent trend of electing a c-section is relating to patient’s greater access to information via the Internet and therefore sprouting questions about elective c-sections that obstetricians were not used to hearing in the past (ACOG, 2013). The Internet can be very informative and a reputable source of information, if the patient is searching the right websites. If not, the misunderstandings of risks and benefits of elective c-sections may become misinterpreted and need clarification from the obstetrician (ACOG, 2013). There are complications with both vaginal and c-section deliveries. Though, choosing a c-section has not shown and health benefits for women or infants who do not require the procedure (World Health Organization, 2015). C-sections have short and long term effects that can affect the health of a woman over the course of her life. Also, the cost comparison between both delivery methods can be a negative effect on the hospital. A typical, uncomplicated vaginal delivery generally costs $11,500, compared to the $20,000 a C-Section costs (Lake, 2012). Also, infants have a higher rate of