Sir, - Dr Niall O'Brien (September 6th) highlights the continuing refusal of GPs to allow women to choose the birth of their choice, be it home birth, hospital birth or elective Caesarean birth. What is his problem? Does he not believe that pregnant women are competent to make informed choices? There is a body of international evidence which finds that, where the pregnancy has progressed normally, it is as safe to give birth at home as in hospital.
If Dr O'Brien feels he lacks the skills to assist at a home birth himself, then midwives are ideally trained to support mothers throughout the antenatal period, and to deliver the baby at home, to the considerable, well-researched benefit of mother, baby and family. There is, moreover, a far higher incidence of women contracting postnatal infections when they give birth in hospitals. If he continues to refuse to support a woman's request for a home birth, perhaps Dr O'Brien would at least respect his patient's moral integrity and direct her towards a more enlightened GP, or a local midwife. - Yours, etc.,
Clodagh Corcoran, Hadyn Park Road, London W12.
