They not only suggest a woman ask all of her questions, but in some instances, even challenge every decision. For instance, inductions, episiotomies, IVs, medications, etc. are all suspect and are negotiable points. In our practice we have an open mind to anything that won't adversely affect the mother or the baby. But birth contracts, like the books that espouse them, lack perspective. Of course we don't want to use forceps, but if your baby suddenly develops life-threatening jeopardy, the forceps are a really good idea regardless of the contract.
Contracts are good for providing services.
But we're not building a house here, we're building a human being. Parenting isn't negotiable after a year, it's a commitment for life. I feel that once the doctor-patient relationship is established, there already is a contract of sorts. Any knowledge is good, and these books do much more good than harm, so in fact I recommend them . My best patient experiences have been with patients who read and learned about the miraculous process they were involved in.