Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Hard Questions about Complacency & Spending Part 2

In 2006, the UN Foundation introduced a blog: Reproductive Health Reality Check.  The purpose of this blog was to use the power of social/web-based media to offer a "reality check on the misconceptions about reproductive health. RH Reality Check's rebuttal arsenal against the — reckless rhetoric — used by opponents of reproductive rights includes original reporting and opinion offered daily by in-house bloggers and the broader reproductive health community, longer-form weekly series, video and audio podcasts, and reference areas offering invaluable background on this important issue."  In January of 2012, RHReality Check become its own independent, 501c3 non-profit organization.

"Protection is our watchword—we are contributing to the global effort to empower people with the information, services and leadership they need to safeguard their sexual and reproductive health and rights against false attacks and misinformation."  ~ RHRealitycheck.org

Just this week, RHRealitycheck ran the story of Rinat Dray - a 35 year old mother of 3 from New York who birthed in a Staten Island Hospital.  Or she was supposed to birth there.  Instead, as the article states, the physician, who consulted with the hospital’s legal department and made the decision to violate her will and her right to refuse surgery by the forced cesarean. In her chart, the following is reported as being entered by the attending physician “The woman has decisional capacity.  I have decided to override her refusal to have a c-section.”  No additional documentation on the reason for the override has been given.  

Without knowing the entire story, it is impossible and unprofessional to make an across the board statement.  However, more and more stories of forced cesareans are being reported world-wide and it is an ominous trend.  A study also was released by Truven Health Analytics, a Michigan based company (with offices world-wide) whose mission it is to help improve healthcare quality and access and reduce costs, stated "Many C-sections are not medically necessary and since these surgical deliveries can be dangerous for both the mother and the baby, the medical community is increasingly concerned about reducing the rate of non-indicated and elective C-sections when possible."

This, then, begs the question: If cesareans are more dangerous than vaginal birth as well as being nearly $4000 more costly, why is the number of cesareans rising?  More importantly, the maternal/infant morbidity and mortality in the US is not improving.  This has become more about legal issues, convenience and fear than good, solid evidence-based medicine. Apparently, decisional capacity is no longer valid.  Patients’ Bill of Rights are void.  We no longer have partners in health care. 


Women may no longer give birth – they will be delivered.

Can we afford to be silent any longer?


Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.  Martin Luther King, Jr.

1 comment:

Vonda said...

An excellent set of articles on this issue of complacency. Birth requires a unique and patient approach for every mom and family. But more and more our care providers are looking for the easy way out - standardization so the bar of care can be set low.