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Coerced Cesarean Surgeries Feed Growing Nationwide Rate
“It’s tempting for doctors to point to the alarming c-section rate in the U.S. and say, ‘Hey, we’re just giving mothers what they’re asking for.’ But that’s rarely the case. Women across the country are having their choices trampled because hospital administrators and doctors are favoring cost-effectiveness and liability protection over basic patients’ rights,” says Tonya Jamois, president of the International Cesarean Awareness Network.
Redondo Beach, CA (PRWEB) November 17, 2005 -- As public health officials and other observers struggle to understand the causes of the latest increase in the cesarean rate, many will blame consumer demand as the primary source. But they will be overlooking another significant source of cesareans in the U.S. – the growing number of women who are being forced into this surgery.
Over 300 hospitals and thousands of physicians across the country have banned vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) based on cost concerns and fears over liability. These bans mean that women are pushed into cesareans they do not want and likely do not need.
The CDC reports that the cesarean rate for 2004 is 29.1%, up from 27.6% in 2003. The number of cesareans in the U.S. has risen 40% since 1996. The rate of first-time cesareans is at an historical high of 20.6%. The VBAC rate fell to 9.2%, even though studies show that over 70% of mothers can give birth vaginally after a cesarean. Since 1996, the VBAC rate in the U.S. has plummeted 67%.
“It’s tempting for doctors to point to the alarming c-section rate in the U.S. and say, ‘Hey, we’re just giving mothers what they’re asking for.’ But that’s rarely the case. Women across the country are having their choices trampled because hospital administrators and doctors are favoring cost-effectiveness and liability protection over basic patients’ rights,” says Tonya Jamois, president of the International Cesarean Awareness Network.
For women being threatened with a coerced cesarean, ICAN has developed a guide to help them understand their rights as patients. The resource discusses the principles of informed consent and the right of every patient to refuse an unwanted medical procedure. The guide can be found at www.ican-online.org/resource...anqa.pdf.
“Every medical and regulatory organization espouses the principles of patients’ rights, yet we’re finding that the realities these women face don’t jive with what’s on paper,” says Katherine Prown, Ph.D., ICAN’s director of advocacy.
While there has been no formal study on the number of women being coerced into cesareans, ICAN has received reports from mothers across the country, and requests for assistance in finding alternatives to forced surgery.
“The e-mails and calls we get from pregnant women are just heart-wrenching,” says Jamois. “Women are struggling to avoid unnecessary surgery, but the medical system has abandoned them. For many, they have to submit to major surgery in order to get medical care.”
Most hospitals that have banned VBAC will point out that the strict VBAC guidelines issued by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology have made it difficult to offer VBAC. ACOG’s guidelines require that the hospital be capable of an “immediate” cesarean if complications should arise, which means surgical teams must be available at all times. But others point out that these strict standards are largely unattainable and not based on the available medical evidence.
According to another physician’s group, the American Academy of Family Physicians, VBAC “should not be restricted only to facilities with available surgical teams present throughout labor since there is no evidence that these additional resources result in improved outcomes.”
“ACOG’s guidelines defy logic. Other emergencies occur in labor. If a hospital says it isn’t safe for a VBAC labor, then it isn’t safe for any woman to labor there,” says Henci Goer, a noted expert on VBAC research.
Women who are seeking information about VBAC or are recovering from a cesarean can visit www.ican-online.org for more information. In addition to over 70 local chapters nationwide, the group hosts an active on-line discussion group that can serve as a resource for mothers.
About Cesareans: ICAN recognizes that when a cesarean is medically necessary, it can be a lifesaving technique for both mother and baby, and worth the risks involved. Potential harms to babies include: low birth weight; prematurity; respiratory problems; and lacerations. Potential harms to women include: hemorrhage; infection; hysterectomy; surgical mistakes; re-hospitalization; dangerous placental abnormalities in future pregnancies; unexplained stillbirth in future pregnancies and increased maternal death rate. For additional information download the resources at www.ican-online.org/resource...ndex.html and www.maternitywise.org/mw/topi...et.html.
Mission statement: ICAN is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve maternal-child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery and promoting vaginal birth after cesarean. There are 71 ICAN Chapters across North America, which hold education and support meetings for people interested in cesarean prevention and recovery.
# # #
also see birthpolicy.org/
steve
Coerced Cesarean Surgeries Feed Growing Nationwide Rate
“It’s tempting for doctors to point to the alarming c-section rate in the U.S. and say, ‘Hey, we’re just giving mothers what they’re asking for.’ But that’s rarely the case. Women across the country are having their choices trampled because hospital administrators and doctors are favoring cost-effectiveness and liability protection over basic patients’ rights,” says Tonya Jamois, president of the International Cesarean Awareness Network.
Redondo Beach, CA (PRWEB) November 17, 2005 -- As public health officials and other observers struggle to understand the causes of the latest increase in the cesarean rate, many will blame consumer demand as the primary source. But they will be overlooking another significant source of cesareans in the U.S. – the growing number of women who are being forced into this surgery.
Over 300 hospitals and thousands of physicians across the country have banned vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) based on cost concerns and fears over liability. These bans mean that women are pushed into cesareans they do not want and likely do not need.
The CDC reports that the cesarean rate for 2004 is 29.1%, up from 27.6% in 2003. The number of cesareans in the U.S. has risen 40% since 1996. The rate of first-time cesareans is at an historical high of 20.6%. The VBAC rate fell to 9.2%, even though studies show that over 70% of mothers can give birth vaginally after a cesarean. Since 1996, the VBAC rate in the U.S. has plummeted 67%.
“It’s tempting for doctors to point to the alarming c-section rate in the U.S. and say, ‘Hey, we’re just giving mothers what they’re asking for.’ But that’s rarely the case. Women across the country are having their choices trampled because hospital administrators and doctors are favoring cost-effectiveness and liability protection over basic patients’ rights,” says Tonya Jamois, president of the International Cesarean Awareness Network.
For women being threatened with a coerced cesarean, ICAN has developed a guide to help them understand their rights as patients. The resource discusses the principles of informed consent and the right of every patient to refuse an unwanted medical procedure. The guide can be found at www.ican-online.org/resource...anqa.pdf.
“Every medical and regulatory organization espouses the principles of patients’ rights, yet we’re finding that the realities these women face don’t jive with what’s on paper,” says Katherine Prown, Ph.D., ICAN’s director of advocacy.
While there has been no formal study on the number of women being coerced into cesareans, ICAN has received reports from mothers across the country, and requests for assistance in finding alternatives to forced surgery.
“The e-mails and calls we get from pregnant women are just heart-wrenching,” says Jamois. “Women are struggling to avoid unnecessary surgery, but the medical system has abandoned them. For many, they have to submit to major surgery in order to get medical care.”
Most hospitals that have banned VBAC will point out that the strict VBAC guidelines issued by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology have made it difficult to offer VBAC. ACOG’s guidelines require that the hospital be capable of an “immediate” cesarean if complications should arise, which means surgical teams must be available at all times. But others point out that these strict standards are largely unattainable and not based on the available medical evidence.
According to another physician’s group, the American Academy of Family Physicians, VBAC “should not be restricted only to facilities with available surgical teams present throughout labor since there is no evidence that these additional resources result in improved outcomes.”
“ACOG’s guidelines defy logic. Other emergencies occur in labor. If a hospital says it isn’t safe for a VBAC labor, then it isn’t safe for any woman to labor there,” says Henci Goer, a noted expert on VBAC research.
Women who are seeking information about VBAC or are recovering from a cesarean can visit www.ican-online.org for more information. In addition to over 70 local chapters nationwide, the group hosts an active on-line discussion group that can serve as a resource for mothers.
About Cesareans: ICAN recognizes that when a cesarean is medically necessary, it can be a lifesaving technique for both mother and baby, and worth the risks involved. Potential harms to babies include: low birth weight; prematurity; respiratory problems; and lacerations. Potential harms to women include: hemorrhage; infection; hysterectomy; surgical mistakes; re-hospitalization; dangerous placental abnormalities in future pregnancies; unexplained stillbirth in future pregnancies and increased maternal death rate. For additional information download the resources at www.ican-online.org/resource...ndex.html and www.maternitywise.org/mw/topi...et.html.
Mission statement: ICAN is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve maternal-child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery and promoting vaginal birth after cesarean. There are 71 ICAN Chapters across North America, which hold education and support meetings for people interested in cesarean prevention and recovery.
# # #
also see birthpolicy.org/
steve
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