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Article: Elective Caesareans Judged Ethical; Doctors Group Issues Statement on Popular Procedure
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- October 31, 2003
- Author:
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It is ethical for doctors to deliver a baby by Caesarean section
even if the mother faces no known risks from conventional labor, the
nation's largest group of pregnancy specialists has decided.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' ethics
committee is issuing a statement today that for the first time
addresses the increasingly popular elective Caesarean sections --
those performed when there is no medical necessity.
The organization has never before issued guidelines or official
opinions about elective Caesareans, but for years it has been among
many medical groups that campaigned to reduce the number of surgical
deliveries for any reason.
The new statement could help ...