Dozens of MPs urge Green Party to officially ditch ‘normal’ childbirth policy immediately
Zack Polanski is facing pressure from dozens of MPs to formally abandon the Green Party’s maternity policy, which aims to reduce birth interventions “effective immediately”.
The Green Party has apologized “unreservedly” for the inconvenience caused by health policy promising to reduce caesarean rates in 2024, describing them as “expensive and risky when not medically necessary”.
The policy initially said the party would “work to reduce the number of birth interventions and change the culture.” A change in NHS culture to ensure “birth is treated as a normal, non-medical event” has also been suggested.
The policy was deleted from the website and was not included in the election manifesto, but Mr Polanski told Sky News at the time that “it’s not that we’ve changed our minds” and added that expert advice would be needed before the policy could be included.
There had been speculation in recent days that the party was planning to formally withdraw the policy, but more than 50 Labor MPs have written to Mr Polanski urging him to formally abandon the policy immediately.
“For too long, the narrative has been shaped by judgment,” the letter said. Independentreader. “The implication that births should not involve medical intervention has contributed to a harmful tendency to portray Caesarean birth as a failure, a shortcut, or a lesser way of giving birth. This decision is not only unfair but dangerous.”
He adds: “The current policy you advocate is dangerous. That’s why we call on you to change your policy, effective immediately, to protect women and babies in this country.”
“This is more important than ever with ongoing investigations into maternity care across the country. It is vital that we end dangerous policies that harm women and start ensuring births in this country are, above all, safe.”
It is understood a motion to change maternity policy will be put forward at the party’s spring conference later this month, where members will decide whether to debate it.
A Green Party spokesman said: “We are a democratic party and our members determine our policies, not MPs from different parties.”
The policy has been widely criticized for ignoring medical evidence that could pose a risk of harm to mothers and babies. Although it has been deleted from the website and did not appear in the 2024 election manifestos, plans to officially cancel it have not yet been finalised.
In 2022, the NHS dropped its target to reduce national caesarean section rates to 20 per cent and maternity staff were instead told to treat cases on an individual basis. The Ockenden Review into failings at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust, which was praised for its below-average caesarean section rate, also found that “some mothers and babies were harmed by this approach”.
Evidence suggests that the UK underperforms compared to other countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on infant and neonatal mortality. In 2022, the UK ranked 19th out of 22 comparable countries.
Last year, an audit of NHS maternal care found that more than half of mothers now have babies with the help of medical interventions such as caesarean sections or the use of tools such as forceps or suction cups.
Michelle Welsh, chair of Labour’s APPG on maternity, said: “It is deeply irresponsible for the Greens to continue to advocate this dangerous and ideological policy and it shows how little they understand maternity care. Their anti-caesarean agenda risks reinforcing a stigma that could put the lives of women and babies at risk and they should withdraw the policy immediately.”
“Maternity care should always be based on a simple principle: a safe birth for mother and baby. While there is still much work to be done to improve maternity services, we must always start from a place of safety and clinical assessment.
“Instead of judging women by the way they give birth, this Labor government is focused on making maternity care safer for every mother and baby. That’s why we’ve launched a national inquiry into maternity services to drive improvements across the country, while also supporting families looking to have children by expanding free childcare, offering free breakfast clubs and growing our Best Start Family Hub network.”
