SELECTIVE PLANNED INDUCTION IN CONDITIONS OF CIVIL STRIFE

Selective planned induction may be defined as the initiation of labour by artificial means for reasons not strictly medical. Where the indications are merely social or for convenience— whether patient's, hospital's, or doctor's—it is doubtful that the procedure is acceptable until we have more detailed knowledge of its effects on the mother and fetus. However, the civil strife that occurred in Belfast in 1972 provided conditions in which the present study of the technique seemed justified. The results suggest that, provided the selection criteria are sufficiently rigorous and meticulously applied, there are no serious maternal risks. The main fetal risk is of unexpected prematurity; this can be avoided, but the precautions applied in this preliminary study reduced significantly the number of patients for whom the method could be used. A second series, with controls and using less rigorous selection criteria, is at present being studied.