The Husband’s Stitch: A Violation of Patients’ Bodily Autonomy – Oxford Human Rights Hub

Posted March 21st, 2022 in birth, doctors, families, female genital mutilation, medical treatment, news by sally

‘The ‘husband’s stitch’ is the practice of placing an extra stitch at the vaginal opening of a patient after birth for cosmetic purposes. This practice has at times been inflicted upon birthing patients non-consensually, and a gap in British legislation leaves these individuals particularly vulnerable to obstetric violence.’

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Oxford Human Rights Hub, 9th March 2022

Source: ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk

Heavily pregnant woman can have C-section against her will, judge rules – BBC News

‘Doctors can perform a Caesarean section against the will of a diabetic woman in her late 20s, a judge has ruled.’

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BBC news, 10th March 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Draft guidelines published to help improve practice when the state acts to safeguard a baby at birth – Family Law

Posted March 4th, 2022 in birth, care orders, children, families, local government, news by tracey

‘Draft guidelines to help improve practice when the state acts to safeguard a baby at birth have been published by Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (Nuffield FJO) and are being tested for feasibility in sites across England and Wales.’

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Family Law, 3rd March 2022

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Call to stop jailing pregnant women in England after baby dies in prison toilet – The Guardian

Posted January 17th, 2022 in bereavement, birth, death in custody, imprisonment, news, pregnancy, women by tracey

‘Vulnerable pregnant women are being imprisoned for non-violent offences, in some cases within just a few weeks of their babies’ due date, according to new research set to be published on Monday.’

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The Guardian, 16th January 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

HMP Styal: Prisoner who had stillborn baby ‘will never forgive jail’ – BBC News

Posted January 11th, 2022 in birth, news, ombudsmen, pregnancy, prisons by tracey

‘A prisoner who gave birth to a stillborn baby in the toilet of a cell has said she “will never forgive the prison” for the “horror death”. Louise Powell, 31, who did not know she was pregnant, said she begged for an ambulance before her baby died at HMP Styal in Cheshire in 2020. She told BBC Newsnight she was left alone when she was “crying for help”.
The Prisons and Probations Ombudsman found there were “missed opportunities” to identify her urgent clinical needs.’

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BBC News, 11th January 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Doctors up in arms over ‘pre-conception negligence’ ruling – Legal Futures

Posted December 20th, 2021 in birth, children, damages, disabled persons, doctors, health, negligence, news, pregnancy by sally

‘Hundreds of doctors around the country, along with representative organisations, have spoken out over the High Court finding a GP negligent for advice given to a mother before conception which led to the birth of a disabled child.’

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Legal Futures, 20th December 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Records vs Recollections: HTR v Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust – Ropewalk Clinical Negligence Blog

Posted December 14th, 2021 in birth, hospitals, negligence, news, personal injuries, witnesses by tracey

‘What approach should the court take when there is a fundamental dispute of fact between an individual’s recollection given in witness evidence and contemporaneous medical records? This was the issue in the trial of HTR v Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust [2021] EWHC 3228 (QB), heard by Cotter J between 5 and 7 October 2021. The case will be of interest to clinical negligence practitioners following the judge’s preference of the Claimant’s mother’s witness evidence about matters that occurred 17 years earlier, despite the existence of a medical note made at the time which appeared to directly contradict that evidence.’

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Ropewalk Clinical Negligence Blog, 7th December 2021

Source: www.ropewalk.co.uk

Stillborn baby’s parents receive £2.8m from Nottingham hospital trust – BBC News

‘A couple whose child died in the womb after mistakes by maternity staff have received a £2.8m settlement.’

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BBC News, 6th December 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Jailed women in UK five times more likely to suffer stillbirths, data shows – The Guardian

Posted December 6th, 2021 in bail, bills, birth, imprisonment, news, pregnancy, prisons, sentencing, statistics, women by sally

‘Women in prison are five times more likely to have a stillbirth and twice as likely to give birth to a premature baby that needs special care, new data collected by the Observer shows.’

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The Guardian, December 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

East Kent baby deaths: Trust was short of staff – BBC News

‘There were not enough maternity staff to keep mothers and babies safe at a hospital trust at the centre of a baby deaths scandal, inspectors have found.’

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BBC News, 15th October 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

More NHS maternity units criticised for poor cultures, bullying and staff shortages – The Independent

Posted October 1st, 2021 in birth, bullying, employment, hospitals, midwives, news, ombudsmen, pregnancy by tracey

‘Two more NHS maternity units have been criticised by the care watchdog over concerns about safety, with inspectors highlighting poor cultures and bullying as well as staff shortages leaving midwives visibly upset.’

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The Independent, 1st October 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Judges Rule Abortion Law On Disability Does Not Violate Human Rights – Each Other

Posted September 29th, 2021 in abortion, birth, disability discrimination, disabled persons, equality, human rights, news by sally

‘The High Court has ruled against a legal challenge from a woman with Down’s syndrome which argued that permitting abortion up until birth for a foetus with certain disabilities is unlawfully discriminatory.’

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Each Other, 28th September 2021

Source: eachother.org.uk

Fear of more baby deaths as ministers stand firm on jailing pregnant women – The Guardian

‘Experts have warned that more babies could die in prison owing to the government’s expansion of female prison places and ministers’ refusal to grant multiple requests to end the incarceration of pregnant women.’

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The Guardian, 23rd September 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Woman with Down’s loses abortion law fight – BBC News

‘A woman with Down’s syndrome has lost her High Court challenge over a law that allows abortion up to birth for a foetus with the condition.’

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BBC News, 23rd September 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

NHS trusts wrongly billing vulnerable migrants for maternity care, says charity – The Guardian

‘NHS trusts are wrongly hounding vulnerable migrant women for payment of bills of thousands of pounds for maternity care, according to a report.’

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The Guardian, 17th September 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Watchdog criticises hospital bosses for widespread bullying – The Independent

‘Inspectors have rated the leadership of Nottingham University Hospitals Trust as inadequate after hearing of widespread bullying and staff fearful of raising concerns.’

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The Independent, 15th September 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Hospital admits liability for baby’s death after ignoring mother’s concerns – The Guardian

Posted September 7th, 2021 in birth, hospitals, negligence, news, pregnancy by sally

‘A hospital has admitted liability for the death of a baby who was delivered stillborn three days after his mother’s complaints of fluid loss and severe pain were dismissed as wetting the bed.’

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The Guardian, 6th September 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Supreme Court Revisits Wrongful Birth Claims – Quarterly Medical Law Review

‘In Khan v Meadows [2021] UKSC 21 the Supreme Court has revisited the principles to be applied in “wrongful birth” claims: claims for the cost of bringing up a disabled child who would not have been born but for a doctor’s negligent medical advice/treatment. However, the judgment has implications beyond the world of clinical negligence litigation. The Supreme Court has taken the opportunity to clarify the components or ingredients of the tort of negligence more generally. In particular, the court has affirmed the importance of the “scope of duty” principle: a principle which limits the recoverability of damages wherever it applies.’

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Quarterly Medical Law Review, 28th July 2021

Source: 1corqmlr.com

Ep148: Interim Care Orders and Newborn Babies – Law Pod UK

Posted July 30th, 2021 in birth, care orders, families, news, podcasts by sally

‘Richard Ager and Clare Ciborowska of 1 Crown Office Row (Brighton) discuss with Rosalind English the distressing and emotional business of removing newborns from their mothers when it is decided that it is in the infant’s best interests. Earlier this year the Public Law Working group has published a series of recommendations for improvements in practice to make the whole procedure less traumatic for the mother. Whether these recommendations will be implemented remains to be seen.’

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Law Pod UK, 29th July 2021

Source: audioboom.com

Secondary Victims: Still Second-Class Claimants? – Ropewalk Clinical Negligence Blog

‘In King v Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust [2021] EWHC 1576 (QB), the High Court once again demonstrated the difficulties faced by Claimants who suffer psychiatric conditions as a result of witnessing loved ones (in this case, a new-born baby) die in hospital.’

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Ropewalk Clinical Negligence Blog, 12th July 2021

Source: www.ropewalk.co.uk