When is it possible to meet the wish of a woman to terminate her labour by caesarean section?

The authors have evaluated 311 answers of Czech obstetricians to the questionnaire concerning their attitude towards pregnant women that want to terminate their labour by caesarean section. The questionnaire contained six model situations: (1) normal delivery; (2) previous caesarean section; (3) breech presentation; (4) previous delivery of an injured baby; (5) protracted labour and (6) caesarean section apparently indicated by another obstetrician. In each situation the obstetrician was encouraged to choose from five different answers. The results have revealed the lack of unanimity in some cases, 3, 4 and 5. Here we feel that the obstetrician should meet the wish of the woman. However, in those situations that are clear from the medical point of view and where there is no professional indication for a caesarean section, it is in accordance with the Czechoslovak rule of law not possible to meet the wish of the woman.