The decline in providers and facilities that
will allow a trial of labor after cesarean forces many women to choose a repeat
cesarean. The choice is frequently not much of a choice, however, since the
full range of options are often not on the table. This limited “choice”
violates obstetricians’ obligations both to respect patients’ autonomy and to
offer them good care. There has been a vigorous but so far not very fruitful
debate in the last few years about the lack of access to a trial of labor after
cesarean. Some recently released documents express concern about the limited
access women have to clinicians and facilities willing to offer a trial of
labor after cesarean. But access is likely to remain a problem for the
foreseeable future.
The decline in providers and facilities that
will allow a trial of labor after cesarean forces many women to choose a repeat
cesarean. The choice is frequently not much of a choice, however, since the
full range of options are often not on the table. This limited “choice”
violates obstetricians’ obligations both to respect patients’ autonomy and to
offer them good care. There has been a vigorous but so far not very fruitful
debate in the last few years about the lack of access to a trial of labor after
cesarean. Some recently released documents express concern about the limited
access women have to clinicians and facilities willing to offer a trial of
labor after cesarean. But access is likely to remain a problem for the
foreseeable future.