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Should we pay if you're too posh to push?

By Sarah Fletcher on 31 Oct 2011 3 comments

If you smoke and get lung cancer, should you get treatment on the NHS? Why should other people have to pay for your choice? Now what about caesareans?

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has caused outrage amongst some medical groups and commentators by stating that all pregnant women should have the choice of a caesarean section on the NHS. Why should we pay for this, some people have asked. Why can't you just go through the blood and gore of a vaginal birth and save us all some money?

Caesareans cost the NHS £800 more than a vaginal birth and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says it's untenable to offer this option to all pregnant women, yet they don't mention the costs of surgery when things go wrong with natural childbirth.

There are significant risks associated with vaginal delivery and women should be given the option as to whether they want to take such risks; if it always comes down to cost, where does this end? Does psychological distress not count as sufficiently important to warrant NHS money?

The reality is that many women wouldn't opt for a caesarian anyway - there are benefits to vaginal birth, such as a quicker recovery time (if everything goes smoothly), that would mean that the NHS wouldn't suddenly be faced with thousands of women all clamouring for a caesarian - but it's right that women should be given the option when choosing which method of childbirth is best for them. It's a gory process that is horrifying to many women, and surely if the technology is available to ease these women's suffering (physical or psychological), it would be cruel to deny them this.

I can't help wondering whether this would even be an issue if if were men who gave birth.

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Comments

owly_2001 replied 28 weeks 4 days ago

Am I right in thinking that if you've had one cesarean any future births would have to be the same way ? I think my SIL was told this after having her first that way for medical reasons. It might make a difference to a woman if her first choice was to become her only option for the future.

Teanna replied 29 weeks 4 days ago

I am in favour of women being offered caesareans IF they are also given sufficient information on both this and natural birth. The worst outcome would be if women opted for a c-section because they were scared of giving birth naturally but had no information about giving birth other than friends' scare stories. If they invest in information and birthing classes then I think it would be a minority who opted for caesarian not on medical grounds (and I do include having suffered a previous birth trauma and being highly anxious as 'medical grounds' - these women should be able to opt for whatever method helps them cope).

nigelsmum replied 29 weeks 4 days ago

I had a Caesareans as my placenta ripped after labour started. I did feel somewhat cheated of being awake as my son was born as it was not done with an epidural. Both my son and I would have died without intervention. I do think though that the choice of birth method should be left to the woman and her GP, as they are knowing the best how and what will affect the mother, physically and psychologically.