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Journal Vol. 33, No. 3 — Decision-making and consent

ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

To read or download this Journal as a PDF. Please click here.

September Editorial: Are you sitting comfortably?
Editor Alex Smith introduces this issue’s theme and articles

The Montgomery ruling and your birth rights
Emma Ashworth explains the Montgomery ruling and how this has strengthened people’s rights when giving consent to medical treatment

Gaining a person’s consent for medical treatment has to be ‘just right’
Alex Smith presents a 'three bears' illustration of consent

Decision-making theory: Does Muriel have free will?
Alex Smith examines the forces at play when people make decisions

Informed decision-making and the antenatal educator
Caroline Smith explores the role of the perinatal education practitioner in equipping parents to make informed decisions

Pregnant and non-compliant
Maria Lyons calls on us to reject fear-based healthcare and to regain informed consent

An open letter to my midwives
Heather Spain writes an open letter to her midwives after her experience of being illegally held captive in hospital with her newborn baby

#mycaesarean: An innovative service improvement programme to enhance the birth experience for women undergoing elective caesarean
Georgia Smith, Charlotte Harford, and Maggie Arlidge explain how the women in their care can make decisions that shape their caesarean birth experience

Seen and unseen: Spirituality as an underestimated dimension of decision-making around birth
Laura S. Jansson reflects on the complex interplay between spirituality and perinatal decision-making, and on how caregivers can support clients' autonomy along the spiritual journey to parenthood

‘I’ve Just Had a Baby’ - After Annie Ridout
A poem Danielle Gilmour

Decisions about our care are for us - the service user - to make. Yes, but ...
Jo Dagastun, on behalf of the AIMS Campaign team, asks whether this term still has a place when discussing decision-making and consent

Putting Better Births’ Personalised Care into Practice
Georgia Clancy comments on progress and recent guidance of the Better Births recommendation

Murray Enkin obituary
Tania Staras writes this obituary for Murray Enkin

Book review: Dynamic Positions in Birth
Verina Henchy and Jo Dagastun review of Margaret Jowitt’s ‘Dynamic Positions in Birth’ (2nd Edition, 2020)

Book Review: Making Informed Decisions on Childbirth: One Scientist’s International Perspective
Georgia Clancy reviews ‘Making informed decisions on childbirth’ by Sofie Vantiers

Introducing PMH Support
Scott Mair writes about his personal experience of birth-related trauma and the webpage he has started to promote parental mental health

MBRRACE report: racial inequalities in maternity outcomes continue
Megan Disley writes about the latest MBRRACE report

AIMS Commentary: the OASI care bundle debate
The AIMS Campaigns team comments on the OASI care bundle debate

The AIMS Campaigns team - Birth Activist Briefing
The AIMS Campaings team explains why it’s important for you to get involved in your local Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP)

What has the AIMS Campaigns Team been up to this quarter?
The AIMS Campaigns team gives us an update on what they’ve been working on since June

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