Caesarean Births To Be Allowed On Request

Women are to be allowed to have their baby by caesarean section, even if they have no medical reason for the operation.

Controversial new guidelines issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) say women should be allowed to have a C-section as long as they have first been counselled about the risks.

Previous guidelines warned that "maternal request" was not an acceptable reason for a caesarean.

But the increasing safety of the procedure in recent years has led some obstetricians to relax the rules.

The watchdoginsists that its new advice reflects current practice and will not mean every woman is offered a caesarean.   Full Read