Forced episiotomy

Forced episiotomy is a episiotomy that are performed in the midst of delivery by the obstetrician or other attending physician without the consent of the mother at a time when she is helpless to resist.

An episiotomy is a surgical incision made in the area between the vagina and anus (perineum). This is done during the last stages of labor and delivery to expand the opening of the vagina to prevent tearing during the delivery of the baby.

Many intactivists are concerned with the process of birth, and consider the routine use of episiotomies by American OB/Gyns, particularly when performed against the wishes of the mother or when consent is obtained by intimidation, as a form of genital mutilation and violence against a mother in a moment of vulnerability.

Episiotomy is a cutting operation. It is frequently performed during labor and delivery by American obstetricians, but apparently informed consent for surgery is not obtained. It is not a part of natural childbirth.

Informed consent is a legal and ethical requirement to protect the human rights of the patient. It requires that the patient be given all relevant information prior to granting consent for a procedure.

Reports of forced episiotomies and aggressive coercion to obtain consent for episiotomy exist, but only recently there has been litigation over this procedure.

See also

• Turbin v. Abbassi

External links

• My episiotomy made me an intactivist
• Episiotomy: Ritual Genital Mutilation in Western Obstetrics
• Improving birth