Just responded to a CEO

Amy Romano at Science and Sensibility pointed me in the direction of a blog post written by the CEO of the hospital where a C-section was televised on the Today show, earlier this week.

Here's the clip of the video:

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Amy's response turned post and a link to CEO Paul Levy's blog

In response to Amy's post and others written by members of the birth community, Levy responded:

I understand many of the points that people have raised here regarding the rate of c-sections. That will be addressed over time.

But I have to admit to some concern that people here and at Amy's site are making judgments about this particular patient and her physician's advice. That, in my mind, is just not right. You cannot know all of the details involved in this case, and it is simply wrong to raise doubts like that about it.

Perhaps you think that the patient's decision to have the procedure on TV gives you the right to comment on her medical choices, but I would ask you to display some kindness and to consider the possible effects of your comments on the family.

My response:

At no point has a poster disparaged the mother who participated in the TV segment for her medical choices. The critiques have been directed to the woman's primary obstetrician and the one who performed the surgery (be they the same person or not). There was no indication in the segment that this was a maternal request c-section.

In all likelihood, the c-section that America saw was strongly recommended by the woman's OB who cited such misinformation like suspected macrosomia as an indication for cesarean, which it is not.

If one is to maintain that a woman's choices are being disparaged, then the only criticism that she can receive is that she trusted her doctor.

He still continues to maintain that posters comments and their "values and judgments about this topic could be interpreted as being critical of this specific doctor-patient decision."

On that he's right. I am critical of this specific doctor-patient decision, but not, like he is asserting, critical of the mother's decision. He seems to be equating the doctor patient relationship to the patient herself--like the patient assumes all responsibility for the unethical practices of her provider.

I think I feel a CODE MEC! coming on...