ABSTRACT
Introduction Pregnant Women in Court The first reported case of court-ordered Caesarean section occurred in Colorado in the US in 1979. A woman described as ‘obese, angry and incooperative’ by her treating physicians refused to consent to the Caesarean section they recommended for, inter alia, foetal hypoxia (insufficient oxygen reaching the foetus). A juvenile court hearing convened in the patient’s hospital room later that day found that the foetus was dependent and neglected, and ordered the Caesarean to be performed to safeguard the life of the unborn infant.1
