That women have the right to decide how they want to give birth to their children is something undeniable. That is why it seems outrageous to ignore the wishes of the parturient as happened to Adelir Carmen Lemos, a Brazilian woman who you have had a caesarean section against your will on April 1 in the State of Rio Grande do Sul.
Adelir is 29 years old and has two previous caesarean sections. This time she wanted it to be different and decided to try a vaginal delivery, but the justice acted for it and under the argument of protecting "the rights of the unborn" and "imminent risk of death" ended up performing a forced caesarean section with which she was not agree.
The facts
How were the facts? The woman goes to the hospital accompanied by her doula, complaining of back pain and with 41 weeks of gestation. The doctor on call performs an ultrasound and observes that the baby is buttocks so with his background and seeing his advanced gestation, tells you to perform a caesarean section. The mother's blood pressure and the baby's heartbeat were normal.
She opposes, signs a document exempting the hospital from responsibility and returns home to wait for the birth to start unchaining naturally to go to another center to give birth.
After leaving the hospital, doctors believe that it was their duty to safeguard the life of the baby and the mother, so they requested the intervention of justice.
At night, while she is in full labor, she is surprised at home by a justice officer and police officers carrying a court order that forced her to go to the hospital to perform a cesarean section.
After delivery, the mother and her husband made complaints of all kinds for the abuse of their rights. In fact, an international mobilization has been launched to denounce the obstetric violence suffered by Adelir.
Vaginal delivery after two C-sections
Having one or more previous C-sections is not an indication to perform another C-section. He American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists points out that women who have undergone two previous caesarean sections may be candidates for vaginal delivery after a caesarean section. The success rates of attempted vaginal delivery after caesarean section are quite high, at around 70-80 percent.
Scientific studies indicate that there is no conclusive evidence on the increased risk of uterine scar rupture due to having a vaginal delivery after one or more C-sections. A similar risk has been found in these with respect to women who repeated the caesarean section. 0.7% for those who had a previous birth, 0.9% for those who had two and a risk of 1.8% for women who underwent the procedure twice.
For their part, the latest research suggests that the position of the baby's buttocks is not a reason to perform a C-section. Seeing these conclusions, in some countries such as Canada it has not been carried out for years and the woman is tried to give birth normally.
There are techniques such as the external cephalic version recommended by the WHO as the best alternative when the baby is presented in a podic position. It does not always work and not all women are candidates for a cephalic version because it has its risks, but in healthy pregnancies it is a effective and safe maneuver, provided it is done by qualified professionals.
The Artemis Association, an organization that acts in the promotion of female autonomy and the prevention and eradication of all forms of violence against women, said on the occasion of Adelir's case:
"The election of the birth route constitutes a human right of the parturient with the purpose of preserving her personal integrity, freedom and conscience, protected by the AMERICAN CONVENTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS (Pact of San José de Costa Rica), of 11/22 / 1969, ratified by Brazil on 09/25/1992 ”.
How far can a doctor go over a woman's wishes to choose how she wants to give birth? The case of Adelir has transcended because it has been sounded, but how many women end up giving birth as they did not want to have previously informed themselves and assumed their own risks?
