Understanding Your Legal Rights During Labor and Delivery
When you go to the hospital for childbirth, you might end up feeling like you are on an assembly line. The medical personnel in the hospital or childbirth centers will tell you what to wear, which position to get into and where your partner needs to go. You may end up feeling more like a laboratory specimen who has no legal rights.
However, expectant mothers do have legal rights during labor and delivery. You can control what medical care you get and based on the information given to you, you can also refuse certain medical care. In order to be aware of your legal rights during labor and delivery, make sure you insist on getting all the information before hand so that you can make all the important decisions.
Informed Consent
The basic rule of medical care is that a patient has to be informed about any medical treatment before he or she agrees to it. This is known as informed consent. Your doctor or healthcare provider should explain everything to you in layman\'s terms so that you understand the risks and repercussions involved in case they are giving your any medication or care.
It has been seen that many healthcare providers do not inform women during labor about the benefits or risks of IV, giving drugs to ease labor pain or the risks associated with C-section. Most doctors assume that the patient already has basic information and does not need further explanation. You have legal rights to ask them so exert it!
Consent Forms
You will be asked to sign a consent form in a hospital or birth center. Make sure you read the form carefully. You have the legal rights to cross off or add things to it. If you do not want anyone other than your healthcare provider to deliver the baby, you can write in the form that you give permission only to your doctor to deliver the baby.
Refusing Treatment
You have the right to refuse any treatment. You also have the right to get up and walk out of the hospital at any time. If you are feeling unsure about an obstetrical problem that your doctor has informed you of, you can always get a second opinion. You can also refuse treatment if you think that the healthcare provider is not trained enough. You have the right to know when you are being treated by an intern and you can refuse treatment.
Emergency Situations
If you or your baby is in any danger, your healthcare provider has the rights to provide care without getting consent from you. For instance, if you need an emergency C-section, your doctor can go ahead without explaining the risks to you.
About Author:
Pauline Go is a professional writer for many parenting websites. She also writes other great articles like Signs Of Miscarriage,\r
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