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ABSTRACT
In this column, the associate editor of The Journal of Perinatal Education (JPE) discusses the decision to devote an issue of JPE to the ethics of childbirth and maternity care. The current crisis in maternity care mandates a careful look at the ethical principles that provide the foundation for practice. The contents of this special issue include: a broad overview of ethics of childbearing, historical perspectives and contemporary understanding of informed decision making, the ethical issues faced by childbirth educators, and the challenges and moral distress experienced by childbirth educators and other maternity care providers when their values, beliefs, and ethical standards are in conflict with standard maternity care practices.
Journal of Perinatal Education, 18(1), 1-3, doi: 10.1624/105812409X396165
Keywords: ethics, principles, moral code, childbirth, childbirth education, maternity care, maternity care practices, moral distress, ethical distress
The current crisis in maternity care (an escalating cesarean rate, an increase in maternal morbidity and mortality, increases in pre-term and near preterm births, and standard care that is "intervention-intensive") mandates a careful look at the ethical and moral principles that are (or should be) the foundation of contemporary maternity care (Sakala & Corry, 2008). The crisis pushes us to examine the extent to which these principles are honored and the ethical dilemmas faced by childbirth educators, nurses, and other providers when standard maternity care does not reflect the ethical standards outlined in the respective codes of ethics of childbirth educators, nurses, midwives, and physicians.
The values, principles, and ethical responsibilities defined in the Code of Ethics for Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educators (Lamaze International, 2006) include these central values:
* The childbirth educator's primary responsibility is to promote the well-being of the childbearing woman.
* The childbirth educator should respect and promote the right of childbearing women to make informed decisions and assists childbearing women in their efforts to identify and clarify their goals. In addition, childbirth educators should provide full, accurate, up-to-date information upon which childbearing women are able to make an informed decision, whether it be informed consent or informed refusal.
The values, principles, and ethical responsibilities to women, our employers, and the profession and society provide a roadmap for us, clarifying who and what we are, for ourselves, and for those who employ us. In...