International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia
Volume 15, Issue 2 , Pages 145-148 , April 2006

Holy consent – a dilemma for medical staff when maternal consent is withheld for emergency caesarean section

  • C.F. Weiniger

      Affiliations

    • Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence to: Carolyn Weiniger, MB ChB MRCA, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center POB 12000, Jerusalem 91120, Israel. Tel.: +972 2 6777269; Cell: +972 507 874059; fax: +972 8 9714244.
    • ,
  • U. Elchalal

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
    • ,
  • C.L. Sprung

      Affiliations

    • Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine
    • ,
  • C. Weissman

      Affiliations

    • Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine
    • ,
  • I. Matot

      Affiliations

    • Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine

,Accepted 1 October 2005.

References 

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  2. Dimond B. Legal aspects of consent 11: compulsory Caesarean sections. Br J Nurs. 2001;10:1002–1004
  3. Dass M. Consent and caesarean section. Curr Obstet Gynaecol. 2005;15:60–64
  4. Keeton WP. Prosser and Keeton on the Law of Torts. 5th Ed.. St Paul, MN: West Publishing; 1984;112–124
  5. Jones MA. Informed consent and other fairy stories. Med Law Rev. 1999;7:103–134
  6. Schloendorff v. Society of New York Hospital, 211 N.Y. 125,105 N.E. 92(1914).
  7. Avraham Steinberg. In: Encyclopedia of Jewish Medical Ethics. vol. II:Jerusalem-New York: Feldheim Pub; 2003;p. 425
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  9. Draper H. Women, forced caesareans and antenatal responsibilities. J Med Ethics. 1996;22:327–333
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  12. Re MB (Caesarean Section) [1997] 8 Med.L.R. 217.
  13. RCOG Guidelines; Ethics. A consideration of the law and ethics in relation to court-authorised obstetric intervention. No 1.London: Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1994. (Supplement to No 1 published in December 1996).
  14. Committee on Professional Liability. ACOG Committee Opinion. Informed Refusal. Int J Gynecol Obstet 2001; 74: 67–68.
  15. Simon GR, Wilkins CJ, Smith I. Sevoflurane induction for emergency caesarean section:two case reports in women with needle phobia. Int J Obstet Anesth. 2002;11:296–300
  16. Re. MB (Medical Treatment) [1997] 2 Family Law Reports (FLR) 426, Court of Appeal (CA).
  17. T(Adult: Refusal of treatment), Re [1993]Fam 95,[1995] 3 Weekly Law Reports (WLR) 782, [1992] 4 All EER 649, sub nom T (An Adult) (Consent to Medical Treatment) Re [1992] 2 FLR, 458, CA.
  18. Victorino G, Wisner DH. Jehovah’s Witnesses: unique problems in a unique trauma population. J Am Coll Surg. 1997;184:458–468
  19. Brooks H, Sullivan WJ. The importance of patient autonomy at birth. Int J Obstet Anesth. 2002;11:196–203
  20. Committee on Ethics. ACOG Committee Opinion. Surgery and Patient Choice: The Ethics of Decision Making. Int J Gynecol Obstet 2004; 84: 188–193.
  21. Minkoff H, Paltrow LM. Melissa Rowland and the rights of pregnant women. Obstet Gynecol. 2004;104:1234–1236
  22. Elkins TE, Brown D, Barclay M, Andersen HF. Maternal-fetal conflict: a study of physicians’ concerns in court-ordered caesarean sections. J Clin Ethics. 1990;1:316–319
  23. Wyatt J. Medical paternalism and the fetus. J Med Ethics. 2001;27(Suppl 2):ii15–ii20
  24. Chervenak FA, McCullough LB, Skupski DW. An ethical justification for emergency, coerced cesarean delivery. Obstet Gynecol. 1993;82:1029–1035
  25. Holdcroft A. Women’s autonomy in childbirth. Courts should also take evidence from obstetric anaesthetists. BMJ. 1997;315:488
  26. Report on Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in the UK 1991–1993. London: HMSO; 1996.

PII: S0959-289X(05)00155-X

doi: 10.1016/j.ijoa.2005.10.002

International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia
Volume 15, Issue 2 , Pages 145-148 , April 2006

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