My Letter Published in The Lancet – 7 Years after 2010 Complaint Upheld by Ombudsman – CAESAREAN BIRTH – Your Baby, Your Body, Your Life, Your Choice

Following 7 years of complaint correspondence with numerous Ombudsman and Editors at The Lancet, my letter, together with a Lancet editorial, have been published online today.

The letter concerns a WHO paper published in 2010, about which The Lancet received a number of complaints, and which also received criticism in two articles (details to follow).

The letter, titled Formulated data do not reflect facts, is followed by the Authors’ reply, written by Pisake Lumbiganon, Malinee Laopaiboon and Ahmet Metin Gülmezoglu.

The Lancet editorial reads: Continuing debate about method of delivery and pregnancy outcomes: a 2010 Lancet Article

In time, I intend to write a more detailed summary of the correspondence outlined in The Lancet Vol 390 July 29, 2017, and this will follow on from what I wrote in our book, Choosing Cesarean, A Natural Birth Plan, back in 2011/12.

It is imperative that medical journals are unbiased in the debate around caesarean birth on maternal request, especially when it’s clear that incomplete evidence and information is being communicated to women, and informed decision making is being refused, despite 2011 NICE guidance.