Changing patient needs: issues and ethics of maternal requested caesarean delivery

Caesarean deliveries are one of the most common surgical procedures performed in the developed world. Although complications are known to occur, the rates of adverse events continue to decline. The longstanding evidence that women who choose vaginal delivery over a scheduled caesarean have a substantially lower risk of death is becoming increasingly tenuous. As a result, primary and repeat caesarean deliveries have reached their highest levels.