• Ethics

What ought to be the limits to maternal autonomy and choice when it comes to childbirth? And what risks are ethically acceptable, given that the life and health of both the baby and mother are sometimes at stake? These questions run through a number of articles in this month's issue. These articles all note that maternal choice regarding the place and method of childbirth has become significant in the relevant national guidelines, as well as in government policy documents.1 ,2 In principle at least, there is a current focus on women-centred care, which puts maternal decision-making at the forefront. This includes decisions on whether to have a homebirth (including unassisted birth), assisted midwife-led birth, or a hospital birth and on whether or not to have an elective caesarean section.

In the first of the articles dealing with childbirth, Lachlan de Crespigny and Julian Savulescu discuss whether homebirth is ethical given some of the potential risks which attend it (see page 807). Rather than examining those instances where maternal and/or neonatal death occurs, …