The NCT is concerned about the public health implications of the rising caesarean section rate. Fear of litigation seems to be driving up the caesarean section rate, together with lack of training and inadequate support and supervision for junior doctors, particularly on the appropriate use and interpretation of electronic foetal monitoring. Doctors often disagree on the criteria for deciding whether a caesarean section is necessary. A caesarean section can be life-saving for the baby or for the woman when there are complications. However, the operation involves health risks for the mother and baby, and social and financial costs, so it is always important to weigh up the particular balance of benefits and costs in each case.
Evidence suggests that thousands of avoidable caesareans are performed each year.
Just 25 years ago only one in 20 pregnant women had a caesarean birth. Now one in every six pregnant women in the UK has a caesarean, and in some hospitals the rate is as high as one in four. As a result, many women are losing confidence in their ability to give birth without intervention. Anecdotal reports of some obstetricians have attributed some of the rise in the caesarean section rate to an increasing number of women requesting a caesarean when there is no clinical need for one. Some doctors grant such requests on the grounds of supporting choice for women.